Mission Night! Korean Food Festival
Last October 22nd, the director’s couple at the Evangelical Missionary Training Center in Korea, Jonathan and Michelle Park, visited the Lydia’s House. On the evening of the 24th(Thursday) of their visit itinerary, there was an event called “Mission Night.” Cloud and I prepared Korean food all day with two missionaries. We made 7 kinds of dishes and invited American local church members and residents to come. We had a good time sharing testimony, praising God, and praying together.
Thankfully, more than 100 people participated, and we were able to finish the event with great success. The place I am in is a rural area in the United States, so if you think of the Korean countryside, it will look the same.
Most Americans here have no experience with Asian culture and food. I have heard many say that this mission night was a big challenge for them to think of “mission.” They only can experience Asian cultures, especially Korean culture and food, only through my husband and me. I believe that the ten days we spent together became a time of comfort and encouragement for each other, a time of rich sharing and fellowship, and a time of rest and filling.
Lydia’s House hopes to be a space for mobilization among the local people through sharing the missionaries’ lives and ministries, and for the missionaries to come and experience rest.
Susan Truitt, OMS Korea Field Director, and her mother
I met Susan and her mother, Mrs. Truitt!
Susan is my boss and my fellow worker in Christ for about 13 years in the OMS Korea office. Also, she gave me my English name, Lisa, when I was a freshman at the university.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been together with her for a long time, and now I’m comfortable and friendly even if I stay quiet and have no conversation. Now, the physical distance is far, but there is hope that we will be able to cooperate with deeper fellowship.
She visited my house on October 11th to 13th, and she has had time with my husband as well as me. As a continuing co-worker of OMS Korea’s ministry, I’m happy to prepare a retreat for AIE short-termers next year and cooperate to send native American volunteers to Korea as a mobilizer. Currently, three American youth are planning to go to Korea next year and are planning to do missionary training before going to Korea.
The second miscarriage, the painful experience again.
Again, I came to convey the regrettable news. Not long ago, I had the pleasure of being pregnant again, and my first checkup this week revealed that my baby’s heart was not beating. After the pain of the early miscarriage, this was the second time, so I felt a lot more pain and anxiety, emptiness, and loneliness than before.
Like that, all the missionaries feel the same thing; living in a foreign country doesn’t seem easy. The medical system in the States is very different from Korea. Even if there are any abnormalities in the body, I do not see medical care until at least ten weeks of pregnancy. If an emergency occurs, I should go to the emergency room instead of the gynecologist to take immediate action.
At first, I’m waiting for the fetus to be released naturally. I’ll wait for a week for natural excretion. If it doesn’t work, the doctor will give me medication, and even if it doesn’t drain the fetus smoothly, I will think to have surgery then. Since the fetus is larger than the first one, the doctor told me that I might have more bleeding and pain. So she recommended for me to always be with my guardian and be prepared for an emergency. Since surgery is a burden both physically and financially, I want to avoid it. So I’m praying for natural discharge. Even though it hurts a lot, I hope that God will give me the strength to endure. So I humbly ask you to join my prayer.
In November, preparing for Thanksgiving, my only confession to God is “thanks.” I also recall Job’s confession of faith. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised(Job 1:21).” I seek the Lord more humbly, and I want to be the servant of the Lord amid this process trusting Him, and deeply understand the painful soul.
Supporting church and personal supporters
I pray for the ministry to serve missionaries in Korean Evangelical Holiness Church centered at the Missionary Training Center. I continue to discuss with the mission leader at the denomination and the director of the training center. I need more partners to start and settle together to do the missionary member care ministry in the States. During my first term (4 years), there is no supporting church to work with sincere prayer and constant financial support. Please be the first sending church.
Please pray for me like this:
- Please help me to lead the natural process of the fetus due to miscarriage and restore the tired body and mind from the two miscarriages.
- I’m waiting for the visa renewal by November 2nd, so please guide me to get the visa extension and the long-term visa.
- Please lead me in all good ways, including God’s help in preparing a retreat project plan for AIE short-termers scheduled for June 2020(Next year), and recruiting supporters and volunteers for this project.
- Please bless the lives of faithful supporters for Lydia’s House Ministry. Send more partners to fulfill the vision of the kingdom of God.
