News > Oceania

1. The geopolitical background of New Zealand: 

Auckland is New Zealand's largest city and main transportation hub with an international airport. The region of Auckland is home to some 1.5 million people and is also the largest business city in this country, while the capital city is Wellington. The total population of the country is only 4.5 million in that vast land, consisting of 10% Māori (native), 10% Asian migrants from India and China, 6% Polynesians (pacific peoples) and otherwise mostly Caucasian (74%) from England. New Zealand is an island country that comprises two main land masses - that of North Island and South Island and a country of cows and sheep, which exports a lot of dairy products. The whole land is fertile with proper rainfall throughout the year. We can easily see flocks of sheep and herds of cattle in the beautiful forest and green pasture with many lakes and valleys, which has pretty and poetic scenery. This country also produces a lot of natural gas and has a geothermal power plant. Tourism is ranked the second largest income in the country and a lot of tourists come from Korea, China and Europe. 

2. Auckland CME

Dr. John Jun and M. Sarah Sunji Jun arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on November 3 right after Melbourne CME in Australia and served Auckland CME from Nov. 4 till Nov. 12 including communion ceremony on Nov. 8 and Sunday worship service on Nov. 9 and Biblical children’s education on Nov. 12.

Dr. John Jun’s CME was based on Ephesians 1: 1-23; 2: 1-10; 2: 11-22 and Galatians 5: 16-26 through group Bible study. Through the  Ephesians study we learned that Paul who was in a prison cell in Rome did not mourn, but instead, praised God remembering Jesus who saved him who was doomed to be punished due to sins and trespasses, and not only that, chose him and poured out the spiritual blessings that belongs to heaven onto him. M. Nehemiah Lim who has been exhausted both mentally and physically to support his family only all by himself day and night got a new strength hearing the word of God. He used to think that it seemed that he was supposedly called to serve a ministry of serving mental retardation and autism due to his own retarded brother and sister and even his own daughter, Joy with autism, not the college students. However, he newly accepted God's sovereignty who called him out as a missionary to New Zealand to serve the campus ministry through Bible study and fellowship. Through Ephesians Bible study M. Hannah Lim also could praise God who poured out the spiritual blessings that belong to heaven onto her, not belong to this world, although she was in a hard and difficult situation of self-support and weak body while raising her autistic 10-year-daughter Joy.

Both of us could newly accept God’s sovereignty who called us out to serve the good work of campus ministry through the words of God and the fellowship with Dr. John Jun’s family. In addition, we changed our mind and made a decision to attend the coming Oceania Summer Bible Conference from Dec. 5 to 7. Through the Galatians Bible study we learned that the believers born again by the Holy Spirit must live by the Spirit to bear the fruit of the Spirit and be able to control their physical desires.

Dr. John Jun served the communion on Nov. 8 and Sunday worship service on Nov. 9, and on Nov. 12 he gave us a lecture about Biblical children’s education. Through this lecture, we learned that our children are God’s children whom God entrusted to us for a while and so we should raise our two daughters, Joanna and Joy, with an attitude of stewardship. Specifically, we learned that we should not look at our autistic daughter Joy with an eye of something wrong caused by parents, rather with the eyes of God’s good will and sovereignty. 

M. Sarah Sunji Jun shared her life testimony well summarized and selected, but full of God's grace.  However, she wanted and tried to share many stories and things that God has been using for His good works.

Dr. John Jun and M. Sarah Sunji Jun stayed at a motel cooking for themselves. While they were staying in Auckland, Dr. John Jun especially visited Auckland University alone several times by taking a bus for more than an hour and explored the campus like a pioneer in an unknown place and got to know the campus.

Dr. John Jun and M. Sarah Sunji Jun gave us many very practical tips while they were in Auckland.  They even bought us a kitchen door at a vintage store for our daughter Joy’s food restriction. On Nov. 11 and 12 for two days they traveled over the beautiful nature around New Zealand. On the evening of Nov. 13 they left for the United States.

M. Nehemiah’s Prayer Topics:

1. To have QT faithfully and renew spiritual blessing
2. To pray for the second daughter
3. For his message every Sunday worship service
4. Campus pioneering of University of Auckland

By M. Nehemiah Lim, Auckland