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세인트루이스 엘리자벳한 입니다.
안녕하세요 안암골 목자님들. 저희 가정은 지난 주 세인트루이스에 도착했습니다. 아직 짐이 도착하지 않아 어려움이 있지만 목자님들의 도움으로 지내고 있습니다. 지난 해에 스티븐 목자님과 저는 한해 요절 소감을 나누었고, 스티븐 목자님은 그것을 기초로 퍼듀 보고서를 작성해서 세계선교 본부에 제출하였습니다. 아래 소감이 그것입니다. 짐이 도착하고 정착이 되는대로 소식 전하겠습니다. 항상 주의 은혜가 가득한 안암골 되기를 기도합니다. 2010 Annual Report from Purdue UBF by Stephen Han I am the LORD your God Isaiah 48:17-18 “This is what the LORD says--your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”” Prophet Isaiah delivered LORD’s message to stubborn Israelites. The LORD’s message consisted of not only punishment upon the stubborn Israelites but also the promise of the redemption from Babylon using the hand of another nation. The LORD is the Redeemer and the Holy One of Israel. The LORD is their God, who teaches what is best for them and who directs the way they should go. Regardless of their stubbornness, the LORD is faithful in his covenant with his chosen people. The LORD is our Redeemer and teaches us what is best for us. We do not need to worry about where we should go. The LORD leads us to the way we should go. When we pay attention to his commands and words, our peace will overflow like rivers. God is indeed my Redeemer and the one who teaches me what is the best for me and who guides me. Through ups and downs in the year of 2010, God enabled me to learn to pay attention to his commands and to experience his intervention upon me. In 2010, I was in an important transition period--graduation, finding a job to remain in the United States as a missionary, and serving Purdue UBF ministry by my family alone. In the midst of the challenge, I pledged to focus on God’s commands and to have sincere attitudes toward the Word of God. In retrospect, God indeed blessed me and our ministry abundantly when I paid attention to his commands. I. God’s work upon me 1. in my English improvement Due to the financial support, I took an English test to be eligible to be a TA. Despite my stay in America for more than three years, I failed to the test and had to take and pass an English class. I was frustrated at that time, but there was a will of God. The class was very helpful. Through the English class, I was able to measure my English fluency objectively, which motivated me to learn English earnestly. The class recorded my speaking and corrected my English via a personal tutor. I have improved English with skills which I have never known or heard before. Through this class, God equipped me with the fluent English so that I may more effectively serve American campus students. God taught me what is best for me 2. in learning America more deeply through struggles In February, 2010, we had an auto accident during the night while traveling back to our home from Chicago. Right after the accident, we were scared and felt lonely. When police asked us to call friends or relatives to bring us to home, we cannot name anyone. We did not have anyone to help us in the United States. We cried out to the LORD and acknowledged our limitation as human being. During the prayer, we were able to thank God that we were safe and our children were okay even though the car was declared to total loss. We felt some pain in our neck and back which were actually herniated, but we could not visit a hospital for following checkups right after the emergency discharge because we do not have enough money. We also have been sued by the other driver and a passenger and the case is still in processing. We were also shocked at the bill for the emergency service even though we stayed there for three hours. We could not afford the medical service fee. In the midst of the hardship, I and my wife realized that God wants us to learn America more deeply and we interpreted that this was God’s sign indicating his will for us to keep serving American students. By God’s grace we were invited to Chicago UBF and received supports and treatments. We are grateful for the missionaries and shepherds who have prayed for us and helped us. After the travel to Korea for the diagnosis and further treatments with the help of Anam UBF coworkers, we received the letter that our bill to pay became zero due to our financial hardship. Thank God for your grace and mercy. You are my Redeemer. 3. in my graduation and searching for a post-doc position In order to earn a Ph. D degree, I had to finish all my research and write a dissertation and journal manuscripts. In the meantime, I also had to find a post-doc position for the 2011 since I will be no longer supported from my advisor. Every procedure was challenging. My research did not go well. I wasted a month due to a failure of one experiment. But I did not despair. Rather, I asked God for a help by prayer. In the midst of my busy and desperate situation, I renewed my heart and made a decision to start every day with prayers and having daily bread. In prayers and daily bread, I confessed my faith that He is my God, He teaches and directs me the best way for me. Setting up a right priority in my life and paying attention to God’s words allowed me to have peace in my hearts. With the peace in my heart and perseverance, I was able to finish all my research before my defense. By God’s grace, I defended my Ph D. and wrote my dissertation in two weeks. Thank God that I have an opportunity to glorify your name. Thanks for your grace upon my Ph. D training! By his grace, God also granted me a post-doc position in the U.S. Job search was difficult due to dismal economy and my stagnant research progress which made me fall behind in job application process. Even though I prepared all materials for the applications and they were ready to go, I could not do so since I had in difficulty in finding two professors other than my advisor to write recommendation letters for me. One professor did not respond to my email and one professor said no. I was frustrated at that time. But in the next day, once I shook off the frustration and prayed with this issue, God moved professors’ hearts. The professor who said no changed his mind and the other professor replied to my email. God was helping me and preparing a position step by step. During the struggles, God wanted me to follow his footsteps and learn him more deeply. Struggles in searching for a post-doc reminded me that God directs me in the way I should go. During prayers, I confessed that I will go wherever he wants me to go. I prayed that God would send me the place he needs me for the ministry. When I trusted in him wholeheartedly, God granted me two good positions for the post-doc studies. Thank God that you trained me so that I can grow more. I also would like to appreciate my wife’s sacrifice and support for the graduation and job search. II. God’s work upon Purdue UBF ministry 1. in Easter conference Purdue UBF had joint Easter conference with U of I UBF. Paul Ho’s and my family earnestly invited our Bible students to the conference since we thought that this may be the last conference for some of our Bible students before their graduations. The title of the conference was 'overflow.' Through the conference, we prayed that Jesus’ love can be overflowed from our hearts and may be outreached to others. Four Bible students attended the conference: Corey, Madeline, Amber and Joseph who have been regular worship service attendants. Each of them received God’s Words in their hearts. They were deeply impressed by the message delivered by the conference speakers. 2. in spiritual growth of our Bible students Missionary Paul’s family found a new mission field in Korea. Paul earned a Ph D degree in mathematics and got a post-doc position at Seokang University in Korea. They moved to Korea in the last August. Also, one of our Bible students Joseph graduated in May and received an admission for his master degree from Georgia Tech. He moved to Atlanta in July. Now that Paul’s family moved to Korea, only my family served Purdue ministry for the Fall Semester. I was concerned about how my family can serve ministry. To keep balance between ministry, my study and job search, I devoted entire one week before the Fall Semester to prepare the Fall Semester ministry. During the week, I prepared all Bible study materials and drafts of Sunday worship service message for the Fall Semester. Since my family’s future was not sure at that time, we chose 15 passages based on theme rather than one entire book, assuming I may graduate in the Fall Semester and my family may leave Purdue. When I committed myself to the message preparation in advance, I was able to manage time more efficiently. Rather than burdened by serving the ministry, I joyfully served the ministry. By serving the ministry by my family alone, we were able to come to our Bible student more closely and understood their struggles. Four students have been studying the Bible: Corey, Madeline, Amber and Stacey. During the Fall Semester, Corey and Madeline regularly attended Sunday worship service. In 2010, they started to participate in worship service; Corey served singalong with his guitar play during every week of the two semesters; Madeline served representative prayers during the Fall Semester biweekly. Amber sometimes attended our worship service. During the worship service, three of them deeply shared what they have learned from the passage. They grew spiritually through listening to the Word of God and their struggles regarding job search and graduate school application: Madeline graduated in the Fall Semester and Corey and Amber will graduate in May in 2011. Thank God for our Bible students’ spiritual growth. May you continue to feed them with your Words and guide them the way they should go! Amen. III. Direction and prayer topics for the year of 2011 1. Direction My 2011 year key verse is James 5:16b “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” I would like to pray fervently and regularly in 2011 so that I may be a prayerful servant of God. Starting from mid February, my family will join St. Louis UBF and begin post-doc in March in the Department of Neurology, School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. 2. Prayer topics a. May God allow Corey, Madeline, Amber and Stacey to keep studying Bible even after my family leaves Purdue b. Co-work well with St. Louis UBF coworkers and serve Washington University students with a shepherd heart c. Adjust well to the new environment (work place, life in St. Louis and St. Louis UBF ministry) d. Devote myself to personal prayer e. To receive permanent residency and find a faculty position in the U.S. so that my family can be permanent missionaries in the U.S. One word: God teaches me what is best for me and directs where I should go. |
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이경청
2011-02-23 16:02
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소감 잘 읽었습니다. 감사합니다. St. Louis UBF ministry을 위해 기도하겠습니다. | |
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박주영
2011-03-02 13:14
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사랑하는 스티븐 엘리자베스한 선교사님~지난해 많은 어려움이 있었지만 온마음으로 기도하심으로 하나님을 생생하게 체험하시고 믿음이 더욱 성장하심을 감사드립니다 때마다 긍휼을 베푸시고 양들을 먹이시고 가장 좋은 길로 인도하시는 하나님의 은혜를 감사찬송합니다 세인트 루이스 UBF가운데 역사하시는 하나님을 잘 배우시고 겸손하고 성숙한 동역자로 귀히 쓰임받으시기를 기도합니다 예수님사랑이 가정과 양들가운데 흘러 넘치기를 기도드립니다^^) | |
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