Hellohellohello! I’m FINALLY in Beijing… and FINALLY contributing to Provision.

After two years of “training” in Seoul, I recently made my way to China with plans to stay for a minimum of another two years… I’ve always wanted to learn Chinese, and I thought it would me amazing to be part of this city during the Olympics, to experience how Beijing will change economically, politically, culturally, physically, and spiritually. Since I’ve been here, there has been a major spiritual shift in my life – and I’ve been wanting to share the grace I’ve been receiving with other Remnants all around the world. One of my prayer topics was about possibly starting a blog – one with a Gospel perspective that covers REAL issues that we face on a daily basis, the kind of stuff that fills our minds when we put our heads down to sleep… But we all know the how strong the power of laziness can be, and I always had so many excuses for not starting it – the biggest being that I didn’t know what I write about. So God helped kick me into gear with an email I received from one of my team members from the World Remnant Conference 2007.

My team consisted mostly of Korean American teeny-bopper girls… all bent on competing against each other to set a new Guinness World Record for the longest uninterrupted mindless babbling. A popular topic among my ladies was about that one time, like, when she was walking to that really cute boy’s house? The one that has that blue backpack you know? And it was so cold, and she wished she had, like, a hoodie or something, you know? Because she was, like, double-u, tee, eff, wearing just shorts because, um, like, she doesn’t remember. Anyway, she was wearing these new shoes that didn’t look good with the shorts, but it didn’t matter, and so, like, that day? She got a C- on her math test, and she was, like, so sad, that she wanted to scream.

I digress. My apologies.

But yes, anyway, there was this one girl. And even though she was so young, you could tell she was different – quiet but always aware of what’s going on, quick to understand but slow to talk, insanely mature beyond her years, knowing to keep her distance from the chattier girls, and most importantly, receptive to the message. Later, she told me that her father passed away a couple years back, her mother decided to go back to school, her older sister is away at college, and that she’s struggling to take care of her younger brother while keeping the house in order. She just started 5th grade.

When I finally settled in after coming to Beijing, I sent an email to my “WRC 2007 Team F401 Ladies” to ask them what they’ve been up to, update them on my move, see if they wanted to vent about anything, to let them know that I was thinking about them. And she was one of the few that wrote back. She wrote that she visited her father’s grave the other day and somehow remembered the message from WRC – about how God is preparing that one big day for her, how all the terrible things in her life will become the “platform” that launches her into the big ways God will use her in the future. And at the end of her email, she put in a little request asking me to pray for her and how she’s having trouble keeping up in school. She wants to know how she can apply the Word for something as every day as her homework and classes, and she’s upset that she’s worried when “pastor ryu said worrying itself is, like, sin, which worries me more.”

So, I sat down to start responding, and before I knew it, I was done writing something that I didn’t even know I had in me. I was so blessed while writing it, and even more blessed when I read it over. Since coming to Beijing, I’ve struggled with getting my priorities in order – and studying always ended up on the bottom of the list. Mid-terms are in two weeks, I’ve not only not studied more than twice outside of the class, but I’m slowing down the pace of the lessons – when I even make it to class. Serious consequences await me if I fail to get satisfactory grades – I’ll lose my two year full scholarship; I’ll be forfeiting a major prayer answer from God. I realized that what I wrote to this girl was also something that I should be applying to my own life, and I wanted to share it with all of you as I felt like it can be a message of encouragement and love for all Remnants – all of my friends, my brothers, and my sisters. Feel free to email me – it would be really nice to stay in touch with a lot of you and hear about how God has been working in your lives.

I’ll end this with the email that was sent. I apologize for the silly examples and analogies, and I know that it wasn’t written for the older Remnant audience, but I felt that it was important to keep it the way it was as editing it would have taken out some potentially good material and added some useless pieces of me and my writing style. I hope it touches you the way it touched me.

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Date: Oct 25, 2007 7:45 AM
Subject: Re: Team F401 – I miss you guys!

hellohellohello!
china is pretty awesome! and im doing GREAT. =]

[[written after: wow, this is becoming a long email - but i hope you read it all because its pretty funny and definitely shows you my opinions regarding the questions you had for me. take your time reading it and you dont have to write back quickly if you dont have time. just make sure you read it all, ok??? even if you cant read it all at once.]]

its ok if school is really stressful – chinese classes are REALLY stressful for me, too. but alot of times – not only with school but for pretty much anything, it can all change if you start LOOKING at it differently. so using a SPOON for example (haha! i know its stupid), the only reason why it exists is because its supposed to help you eat. YOU control IT and YOU use it for what you need to do, and then when youre done using it, you put it away. right? school is the SAME, you have to remember that the school is there for YOU, not the other way around. i know right now it feels like you’re the one doing things for school and school is controlling your life – but thats because youre looking it at backwards! the school ONLY EXISTS because youre going there to learn and to use what you learn to do things in the future, right? YOU are the one that controls what you choose to learn, and the school is there to make sure you learn what you need. the same goes for teachers – the ONLY reasons they are there is to help you learn. so USE the school and USE the teachers the same way you would USE the spoon. get everything you can out of it… make the most of what school has to offer you. do you want to be a starving child with a spoon that takes tinytinytiny bites and complains about how the spoon is too big OR do you want to be a starving child that is given a spoon that focuses on how GOOD the FOOD is and takes HUGE BITES? school is your spoon, and education is your food. the school is not important, what you learn is – make sure when you dont understand, you ask your teachers and USE them to learn more than ANYONE else. and the tests? theyre only there so you can TEST YOURSELF to see how well you’re learning the stuff. bad grades should only disappoint you because you know you couldve taken a BIGGER BITE instead of putting the food in your mouth and then spitting it out on the floor when youre still starving. do you understand? i hope so. even though i used the most ridiculous example…! haha! oh, and the gifted program? thats like having a spoon AND A FORK! not everyone gets a fork! only the kids that the parents know are really hungry and need a way to eat faster are given forks, right?!

so im learning chinese in china and its really stressful for me. but like YOU said – im SO lucky. why? because im like that starving kid thats was given a spoon (classes and teachers), forks (a lot chinese friends to practice with), knives (tons of time to study and really try to remember what i learn), and an unlimited FREE BUFFET (being in china on a scholarship so i dont pay for anything!). you’re right. im lucky. but so are you! HAHA!

what rev. ryu means by worrying being a sin.. is not like what youre worrying. hes talking the adults who are so worried about MONEY, usually.. and how they think having money is more important than having god. and all they do is worry about how theyre going to pay for this and how theyre going to pay for that and all they think about is money and what they need to do to get more because they never have enough. being worried that youre losing grace is ACTUALLY considered yearning for immanuel – because youre only worried because you want to be closer to god. and god knows that. and he will bring you closer to him. i promise. god is there right next to you, and christ hears all your cries, and he wants you to know that hes holding your hand – open the bible and read ISAIAH 41:13. you know what it says? GO READ IT! hes holding your RIGHT hand, not your left hand… your right hand (youre right handed, right?) and hes not just some random person, hes not like a teacher or a parent… he holds your hand and tells you that hes YOUR lord, not someone elses god, not rev. ryus god, YOUR god… and then he says what? read it again. and again and again, if you have to.

its okay if you keep forgetting the message. and its okay if you dont do your remnant journal. youre looking at it backwards again. those things are the spoons and forks! those things are given to you so that you can remember immanuel all the time… if you do those things, they will help you to think about christ all day, and they will help you to remember to pray, and to look at the world around you through spiritual eyes. you dont NEED those things when you can still eat with your fingers. whats important is that you are eating. understand?

ill be praying for you. remember to start looking at things differently. the things you have been given in life are there as spoons and forks and knives and plates – so that you dont have to eat food on the floor with your fingers… think about the many, many, many people in the world who are too poor to go to school.. but more importantly unreached by the gospel and too spiritually lost to find christ – they’re starving just like you except theyre not given anything to help them eat… when theyre hands are tied behind their backs! YOU were CHOSEN by GOD even before you were born to be given all these things, so that after you feed yourself and grow strong and learn to walk – you can take yourself to help those who cannot help themselves and you can give them the spiritual utensils and teach them how to eat – that is missions and world evangelization. right?

immanuel

Two new testimonies added, as well as some pictures!

Volume 2.3

A Beautiful Breakup

Sunday

Photo Albums

For those who joined the mailing list on google groups, please note the following announcement:

IF YOU GOT ANY FUNKY EMAILS ASKING YOU TO JOIN, AND YOU HAVE ALREADY BECOME A MEMBER, THAT WAS THE FAULT OF MY GOOGLE ADDRESS BOOK FREEZING ON ME AND CLICKING NAMES THAT I HAD ALREADY SENT TO! MY APOLOGIES!

**For pictures that Caleb took while on his journey, click here.**

It’s from my personal journal entry for when I went to Yangzi, China. On a side note, the father of my friend went to jail and was harassed by the police but after refusing to pay the fine (by not having the means) and enjoying time in prison (like Paul in the Bible, turning the prison time into an evangelism camp) they eventually realized he wasn’t worth their time to constantly arrest and threaten.

September 23, Sunday

After an unsuccessful attempt to get Kobaks to come to Church with me, I head out in the morning with Paul to Church. We start walking from home to Bukdae which is about a 3 mile walk. The nameless building with a sign that has nothing to do with what’s going on inside greets us. The small staircase that shows the thinness of the floor separating the basement and the first floor welcomes us to the place of grace. During the message the sound of the ping pong ball echoes loudly as if it were the weight of a billiard ball bouncing above.

This is the place of the persecuted church. Amen and hallelujah.

Paul takes me out to lunch for lamb kebabs and we head over to his house to change clothes and rest. I introduce myself and my testimony to his mother and we share in the fellowship of Christ together.

Paul and I head out towards Yanbian University but along the way stop by Yanggil Church, most likely the biggest Church in China. It’s government sanctioned and been around for more than 50 years. A big deal to be found in Communist lands but only beautiful on the outside.

During the service Paul was yet again awkward. More great Team Ministry occurred and were were able to talk about the difference in our fellow Christians who simply attend church and how we should love, not criticize them.

We walk to Yondae and walk the campus before going to eat spicy soup. Its the Schezuan taste that gives “mabi” to your lips and tongue so it palpitates in pain and delight at the same time. We walk back through the city and part ways back to each other’s home.

I hope to share the message I received that day with Kobaks, but he comes home drunk with a business associate and Song. I play host, send them off after a few more drinks, and put the Kobaks to sleep.

Taiwanese Remnant

Remnant Mission Church in New York

Columbia University, School of Social Work

A Beautiful Breakup

During the RCA last year, I experienced the most heartbreaking breakup in my life. When I was still a nonbeliever, I received a phone call from my ex-boyfriend who was attending RCA as a Remnant. He made a resolution to end our four year relationship. It was a difficult ending for both of us. As a Remnant who had prayed for my salvation with tears for years, he finally lost his hope that God would save me. As a nonbeliever who believed that human love can conquer everything, I became completely devastated by the breakup.

I did not know who God was back then but I asked Him to take my life and show me His love for me. I did not know how to pray, so I prayed the Lord’s Prayer which had touched my heart before. I cried out to God, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will…and if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” It was from that point on that God turned this heartbreaking breakup into the most blessing breakup that cut off more than 20 years of my relationship with sin, curses, death, hell and Satan.

I accepted Jesus Christ when I was reading The Gospel Letter alone. That was not the first time I read it, but that was the time that with all the hardships I was going through, God opened my spiritual eyes to understand every Word that was written. I could not stop my tears as I finally realized why John 10:11 says “He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.” I felt that I was a lost child who finally came back home when I accepted Jesus Christ. I made a conclusion that the love of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for my sin and sin of all is the solution to all human problems.

After realizing this, I began to ask God to show me His plan for me. At that point, I had finished my major in Nursing and Psychology and was beginning my graduate study in Social Work. The reason I had moved from one major to another was because I wanted to find the best suited profession that could truly solve the problems of people. So I entered the graduate school of social work, believing that social work is the best compared to nursing and psychology when it comes to helping people. I appreciated social work because it deals with not only the physical and psychological problems of individuals but also the environmental factors that cause those problems. Social work helps fixing different levels of environmental problems ranging from the micro issues such as bad parenting, to the macro issues such as flaws in social welfare policy that impact the individual’s life.

My conception about social work and all other “help” professions began to change after the Gospel entered my life. As I was receiving healing and growing spiritually from experiences in my church and the trainings I received in Korea this summer, God showed me His plan by first helping me to realize an important fact. Although all helping professions are helpful to people in some ways, they (including social work) are only helpful to fix symptoms of human problems and not the root cause of those problems. These symptoms being fixed are like bad fruits, which are consequential sins, that grow out from a tree with rotten roots ,which is original sin. These rotten roots represent the dead spirit as a result of disconnection from God. Therefore, it becomes less a concern whether a helping profession is fixing problems that are physical or psychological, individual or environmental, micro or macro because it can only fix symptoms and not the roots. In other words, even the best and most comprehensive practice in medication, caring, counseling, and social change can bring only temporary healing. The rotten roots must be renewed to bear new fruits as a dead spirit must reconnect with God to live again for the real healing to take place.

God gave me the greatest answer that I had been searching for years in my life. It is not the helping profession that can solve human problems but only the Gospel. This realization made me feel the greatest freedom, but at the same time I began struggling with my professional identity as a social worker. In my past internship, I struggled so much when I was allowed to provide social services but not to share Gospel to my clients who were immigrants from around the world and were suffering with all sorts of life difficult problems such as poverty, unemployment, domestic violence, an illegal immigrant status, and mental illness. I shouted to God “in the field of my specialty, show me the way to deliver the true answer to their problems and sufferings!”

God responded to my calling by giving me a vision. As time went by, I began to visualize a Gospel-based social service agency that delivers not only social services but also the true answer to save lives. This lead to a transition of my concentration within the field of social work from Clinical Practice to Social Enterprise Administration. God helped me realize that with the skills in management of social service organizations, I could either enforce the Gospel-based social practice in a faith-based agency or establish a Gospel-based social service agency in the future.

As I changed my concentration, I also began to feel my incompetence. I asked God, “How could I, a person who is totally inexperienced in finance, business, and management, make this happen.” God continued to answer me while I was receiving training in Korea. I shed tears when I learned how the vision of RUTC echoes in the vision that God gave me. I was filled with joy when I learned that the RUTC is going to include a social welfare department and raise a true social movement through the Gospel. Through my meetings with other Remnants who also shared the same vision about the RUTC, I also learned that I am not alone. God’s voice said to me that I am not going to do everything with my own strength but with everything that He had prepared long before He called me. Today, God sends me to one of the largest non-profit organizations in the United States to have an internship and receive training in administration. My lifelong prayer topic finally comes to light as I am growing in His love, power, and wisdom. I am praying to become a skillful administrator with the Gospel who can help build RUTC’s around the world to save souls.

There is no such thing like a beautiful breakup in this world but in God’s Kingdom and in God’s sovereignty there is. Although it appeared to be a breakup of my four-year relationship with a person, it was in fact a breakup of my relationship with Satan who had enslaved me for more than 20 years, and all members in my family line for generations. It was such a beautiful breakup that my true identity as a child of God was found; it was such a beautiful breakup that God broke my heart to receive the greatest love from Him; it was such a beautiful breakup that through years of searching for a true solution to human problems, I found Jesus Christ, the solution to all problems; it was such a beautiful breakup that my life was saved for the purpose of saving others’ souls; it was such a beautiful breakup that my study and knowledge which were once rubbish became the foundation of world mission; it was such a beautiful breakup that my bedroom became the Mark’s upper room where prayer and unity of Remnants is taking place; it was such a beautiful breakup that my best friend and roommate also became children of God after me; it was such a beautiful breakup that my Chinese friends joined my church, which answered my church’s prayer topic of multi-ethnic worship; it was such a beautiful breakup that my sister and brother begin to resist idol and ancestor worship; it was such a beautiful breakup that my ex-boyfriend’s greatest prayer topic about my salvation was answered and his relationship with God restored; it was such a beautiful breakup that I become a disciple and a witness of Jesus, the son of living God, the Savior of this world; it was such a beautiful breakup that God sent me to Korea this summer to testify of His Love in front of Korean Children in the first English Mission School; it was such a beautiful breakup that last year’s RCA became the platform for today’s RCA. Last year, my life as a nonbeliever confronted a dead end. This year, I stand in front of you to testify how my life was transformed through God’s master plan. I thank God that He did not let the cup pass from me, but God rather gave me a cup filled with truth, life and love.

Updates:

– “Through God’s Guidance”, a testimony by Isaac Kim

– Link to the Provision Picasa Web Album

In the summer of 2004, my family and I went on a college tour to the Mid-Atlantic, to benefit my two older sisters who were in the application process of applying to colleges. We drove from Virginia up to Maine, and then back down driving past Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, and all the states that were along the way down to Virginia. We visited liberal art colleges and visited some very renowned boarding schools. Some that we visited were Phillips Academy Exeter, Phillips Academy Andover, Deerfield, and a few more. From then on, my boarding school preparation began. After the tour of the colleges, and for my benefit the boarding schools, I began preparing myself for the test. In order for me to go to a boarding school, I had to fulfill these requirements: score well on the SSAT (Secondary School Admissions Test), and fill out the school applications. I went to programs that tried to teach me subjects that I did not understand. I also attended tutor centers where I was told to write essays with prompts like “Ignorance is bliss”, and other topics. I could write an essay with that prompt now, but back then because I did not understand the topics, I tried making up answers to please my teacher.

Time passed by, and the test dates were approaching. I should have been panicking (which I kind of was), but I was doing other things. Instead of studying all the time, I was attending evangelism camps, and the Youth Evangelism Institute. I was training. I realized that this was God preparing me for boarding school. He was giving me opportunities to receive training, so I could hold firmly onto the Gospel during my journey through school. What I held onto during that time was that God had prepared everything for me. This was His plan for me. His plan was for me to be trained at a school where I could become an elite. With the Gospel, I realized that God was forming me to become an elite with the Gospel, who would save this dark age.

The application process was very long, and hard. I was applying to twelve different schools. Therefore, I had to write about thirteen to fourteen essays because some schools required more than one essay. Not only did I write the essays, I answered the short answer questions. Although I had all of these due dates and test dates on my mind, I was still receiving training. When the testing date finally arrived, through God’s guidance, I received a good score on the test. I gave thanks to God. Not only did God guide me on my tests, but, he also guided me on the school applications which were all completed and sent on time. After I finished these applications, my family, church, and I were constantly in prayer.

I waited for about three to four months. Those months felt as of they were the longest months in my life. I would check the mail everyday. Then, in early March, my first call from a school came. My dad saw it first on the email, and he rushed into my room. I was still sleeping so I was a bit confused. However, when I heard the news, I jumped out of bed, and was so excited I couldn’t go back to sleep. I was so thankful to God. During that month, I heard back from all the schools I applied to. I was accepted into three out of the twelve schools, and was waitlisted at a school called Hotchkiss. God prepared everything for me.

To spiritually strengthen myself, I went to Korea for a month, where I attended Leaders’ Retreat, the World Remnant Conference, World Missions Convention, and the English 1^st Level Camp Training. Here, I received a lot of training to prepare me for my school.

Now, I am attending Peddie School, which is a school located in Hightstown, New Jersey. It is a co-educational school that is from grades 9 – 12. Although many of the students here are Jewish, I believe that God led me to this school, so I could develop the good habits that the Jewish people have. For example, about how to manage my money, or how to study. Although I would be following their beneficial habits, I am going to be the Remnant who is shining the light in this school. God planned everything for me, and directed me to this very point in my life. I am very thankful to my family who encouraged me spiritually during this whole time, and to God. I am praying for God to give me spiritual strength, and for me to not lose hold of the Gospel throughout my career here at Peddie School.

We need to replace that with a banner — specifically a banner with the RDA logo. If you are a graphic designer and interested in using your talents to promote Provision, please send a sample .jpeg of your proposed banner to rdaprovision@gmail.com by October 25.

Translated by Sora Han

Remnant Minister in the College field, Remnant Core Lecturer, Youth Evangelism Institute Lecturer, College Evangelism School Lecturer

At the World Missions Convention in September 2005, I was commissioned to America as a missionary for college ministry. In lieu of the fact that I arrived in America just one year ago, there isn’t much that I feel that I can say about the country, for there is still much for me to learn. Since my arrival, I received many important answers of opening my eyes to the field and taking this time as an opportunity of confirming the spiritual problems in the field, the thirsting individuals, as well as the mystery of Christ through which unchanging power is revealed. In addition, I was able to whole-heartedly confirm that God has prepared so many important Remnants in the field of America; the fact that God is so pleased with us, simply because of the fact that we carry the word “Remnant” into the field, was etched into my bones.

There are two important points of focus in the Remnant Movement in America that are currently underway. The first is “continuation on a daily basis” and the second is “non-believing field.” The time schedule of the Remnant Movement in America as of now is for Remnants who are thirsting on a daily basis to receive strength at the conferences. As the next time schedule approaches, we hope to take the newly-established systems as a platform that will conquer the field full-force, and raise the field system. It is most unfortunate that Remnants who have a pure heart for the Gospel and who love the Gospel, have no system through which they can hear the Gospel on a regular basis with the exception of the one or two annual conferences. For this reason, I am praying together with my co-workers that we can receive the answer of raising a system of continuously hearing the Gospel on a regular basis in Los Angeles. Even during the new semester, we will receive the answer of laying down the foundation of the Gospel and training the evangelism disciples centered on the evangelism institute.