News > North America

http://canadanorthyorkubf.org/

Everything is possible for him whom believes

“‘If you can’?”said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” (Mark 9:23)

1.  From an artist who followed Toulouse-Lautrec to an artist who draws life

A.I was born in a poorand small village in Korea

I was born in a poorand small village in Korea. Because of my family’s poverty, after finishing elementary school, I got a job as a helper in a small movie theater billboard painting studio near my village. As a young boy, I thought that I had a fantastic job, because I painted movie stars on huge billboards, earned some spending money, had the privilege to watch free movies everyday, including movies for adults only, and became free from school studies. There, I witnessed and learned all kinds of bad things.

B. I could not afford my school tuition

 The following year, I entered Junior high school, but I suffered a lot because i could not afford my school tuition. However, from the 8th grade all the way to the end of high school, I received a special art scholarship because I won various art contests and exhibitions. After high school graduation, I had a job for 2 years to prepare my university tuition and entered Chosun University, majoring in art education. Yet I could not even afford to rent a room. So I lived in my friends’painting studios, until I moved into the Kwang-Ju UBF center.

C. My idol was a Post-impressionist French dwarf artist Toulouse-Lautrec

My idol was a Post-impressionist French dwarf artist Toulouse-Lautrec who had lived a corrupt Bohemian lifestyle in his fatalistic view of himself. As a young artist, I imitated not only his art work, but also his corrupt lifestyle. I became a strange man like the Gerasene demoniac. Like Lautrec, I lived in a painting studio located in a brothel building, wearing black outfits stained with paint spatters. Because of alcohol abuse, my health deteriorated in my young age. Without a life-purpose and meaning, I became a dear friend to sin. In this way, I became “Lautrec Lee.”

D. God’s word began working powerfully in my heartfrom 1980

In 1980, God called me. When I first came to the Kwang-Ju UBF center I had long hair and black work clothes and I left a bad impression to UBF people, particularly my Bible teacher, Shepherd Moses Og-Kee Lee. After one bible study, I stopped coming. I was busy with my artwork for the provincial art contest. But one day, Shepherd Moses Lee visited my messy studio with many empty liquor bottles and countless cigarette butts in several ashtrays. Through his surprise visit, my Bohemian lifestyle was exposed to him and I was very embarrassed. In an attempt to make him leave my messy studio quickly, I quickly arranged my next Bible study appointment. From the second Bible study, God’s word began working powerfully in my heart. That same year, I attended the “A-San”Summer Bible Conference. The first day of the conference, I hung out with a fisherman at a river near the conference place, not attending the conference. But the second day, I was stunned by Jesus’words in John 4. As I listened to the message, I saw myself wandering around Lautrec’s spring to quench my thirsty soul and came to know that Jesus alone could quench my inner thirst.

E. I made a decision not to chase Lautrec any more, but to follow Jesus.

On that day, I wrote my first Bible testimony, repenting of all my sins and received Jesus’forgiving grace and his calling. I made a decision not to chase Lautrec any more, but to follow Jesus. Then I pushed my Bible teacher to give me one Bible study everyday, promising him to write a testimony each day. Six months after daily Bible study, I became a UBF shepherd and a Bible teacher. 2 years after becoming a Bible teacher, I was sent out to pioneer Mok-Po University.

F. a speedy marriage within three daysin 1985

2 months after serving the pioneering work, Dr. John Jun gave me a direction to marry Joan Lee a missionary from Canada. I couldn’t accept this direction. So I thought about deserting the UBF mission. But that night I read Mark’s gospel over and over again. Then Jesus’prayer at Gethsemane to deny his own will to obey God’s will touched my heart. I denied my will and had a speedy marriage within three days. In 1985, God finally sent me to Canada. In this way God accepted my little obedience and showered his blessing upon me. However, due to my past Bohemian lifestyle, I fell into sin again and again, but Jesus forgave me and raised me up each time. My God in Korea was the God of great grace and love. God healed my sin-sick soul and changed me into an artist who renders life in people’s hearts.

2.  Everything is possible for him who believes.

A.  I arrived in Winnipeg, Canada on May 1985

On May 1985, I arrived in Winnipeg, Canada with 3 other men missionaries. I saw our women missionaries form a strong spiritual vessel and serve many Canadian students. Our 4 men missionaries challenged English study first. We shouted Mark 9:23, “Everything is possible for him who believes”and memorized English text books all day and took a test in the evening. If we failed the test, we had to pay penalty and retake it until passed it. I often had to take re-tests, and even re-re-tests. Through memorization training for a year, we became memorizing machines.

B.About 30-40 Canadian students came to Sunday worship service. 

When we didn’t understand certain words or sentences we just memorized them. 2 years after living as a memorizing machine, I challenged a Math program in the University of Manitoba. Because of my lack of Math knowledge, I took 2 months of a high school level Math courses, offered at the University and passed it. Then I studied University level Math and later got A’s. Certainly, everything is possible for him who believes. After then, we challenged fishing and one to one Bible studies. About 30-40 Canadian students came to Sunday worship service.

C. God richly blessed our discipleship ministry

When God’s work was advancing powerfully, Satan was jealous and hindered God’s work through persecution. However, God used the persecution and sent our missionaries to the major cities—Toronto, Hamilton and Montreal. By God’s grace, my family was sent to Montreal together with other missionary families and 2 Canadian shepherds—John Giesbrecht and Andrew Christopher. Through studying at McGill University I obtained a teacher’s licence and got a job as a Math teacher in a high school and served Concordia and McGill university students. God raised disciples of Jesus and several of them are still faithfully serving Montreal UBF as shepherds. Among them, Shepherd Ernest Chan studied the Bible with me and married M. Daniella Chan by faith. Now he is serving McGill students as a good shepherd. Our God turned the persecution around and pioneered the major cities in Canada and is now expending his pioneering work across the nation.

3. North York UBF pioneering work

A. God’s test.

In 1998, God sent my family to pioneer Ryerson University in Toronto. God also sent Missionary Isaac and Rebekah Kim to us to work together for this pioneering work. When we made a prayer vessel and served fishing ministry, God sent many sheep to us. About 4 months later, Dr. Samuel Lee gave us a new direction to join Toronto UBF. It was a very difficult direction to obey. But believing that God would bless obedient people, we all joined Toronto UBF. It was God’s test.

B. God accepted my obedience

 God accepted my obedience and in 2000, God blessed us to serve North York UBF pioneering work. Missionary Andrew and Hannah Han and my family began the pioneering work and God blessed us with many students. M. Hannah and M. Joan served the pioneering work full time joyfully. God also sent M. Isaac and Rebekah Kim to us again. We were so happy to serve Seneca college students.

C. growing disciples amongSeneca college students

God sent a few Seneca college students and grew them through the words of God. Among them, Sh. Louis Perdomo and Amanda Vance became remnants of this pioneering work. Louis Perdomo joined Ryerson ministry and has been receiving spiritual training since last year and is struggling to get a job. We pray that he may return this year and establish a house church by faith. Amanda Vance had wandered a lot. She dropped out of high school and suffered from drug abuse. But through our missionaries’prayers and love, she finished high school and now she is studying at Seneca college. We pray that God may grow her and raise her as a woman of God and establish a house church in God’s time.

D. new missionaries from Korea

God also sent young girl students from Korea who came to Canada to study English and to learn world mission spirit. But instead of returning to Korea, they made a decision to be missionaries. Then they married by faith and invited their husbands to Canada as missionaries. They are M. Elijah and Sarah Kim, M. Moses and Deborah Noh, M. Joseph and Esther Song, M. David and Mary Jung, and M. Daniel and Daniella Kim. God has helped them to lay spiritual and physical foundation for serving God’s mission until now. May God use these precious servants for God’s work in Canada.

E. we are serving 2 worship services-one at UTSC Bible house, the other at Seneca Bible house

Last year, we prayed and raised three families for serving UTSC (University of Toronto at Scarborough) pioneering work. Families of M. Isaac Kim, Moses Noh and Joseph Song moved to UTSC campus area and diligently invited students to Bible study. In particular, M. Isaac Kim’s family sacrificially opened their house as the UTSC Bible house. And now we are serving 2 worship services—one at UTSC Bible house, the other at Seneca Bible house. God sent a several students from Seneca college and UTSC and is growing them through Bible study.

F. God also raised 9 second gen missionaries

God also raised 9 second gen missionaries as disciples and stewards of God’s ministry. Especially Paul Lee Jr. and Andrew Han Jr. who had wandered for a while met their God personally and realized that living as second gen missionary is God’s great blessing. They became our precious co-workers. Paul Jr became a good influence to other second gens and native shepherds through his shepherding life feeding 3 regular sheep, serving music ministry and doing his school study. Last year, he was engaged to M. Lydia Shin, a second gen missionary and will establish his house church soon. M. Lydia Shin came to Canada to learn English. By God’s help she made a decision to be a missionary. She understands second gens’strength as well as their weaknesses and problems. She accepted marriage by faith and now prays for establishing a sacrificial house church for Canadian students. God has blessed us thus far.

G. May God accept our obedience and faith and pioneer 250 Canadian campuses

Looking back on God’s blessing in and around me, I cannot but thank God. God began Canadian campus mission through our women missionaries in Winnipeg 30 years ago. God blessed their obedience to Jesus’world mission command and raised many spiritual leaders in 19 UBF chapters. God also accepted my small obedience to him and used me in his world mission work until now. Through my missionary life, I learned that God uses those who obey God by faith in his precious world salvation work. May God accept our obedience and faith and pioneer 250 Canadian campuses. May God make Canada a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

One Word: Everything is possible for him who believes