Romans 1:5 “Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.”

1. A Hopeless Life

I was born in 1980 as the first son among 2 sons and 1 daughter and as a descendant of the firstborn sons in my family line. I was loved by everybody, and I was a mischievous boy who liked to play outdoors. Because I played anywhere anytime, my skin became dark and other children teased me because of this, and this became my inferiority complex. My family was not wealthy, and though I did well at school I was not interested in schoolwork. I gradually became introverted and feared being in front of other people because of a sense of inferiority. I spent much time at home rather than relating with people. Cartoon books and martial arts novels became my friends and I indulged in daydreaming. I dreamed of being the fantastic and able heroes in the books instead of the insignificant person that I really was.

I was wasting my time in reverie and lust, and indulged in sinful desires without being able to find any meaning in my life. I entered the School of Electronic Engineering in Kwangwoon University, and wanted to be renewed. I joined the movie clubs, made friends and tried hard but nothing was changed. Life was a continuum of the past; drinking and playing billiards and games.

2. As an Apostle for His Name’s Sake

God showed his one-sided grace to a hopeless and perishing sinner like me. One day, I came to school at 3pm to attend class after having played games until late at night, as usual. God led me to a shepherd who invited me to Bible Academy. I was not in the least interested in God but I met him again after school in front of my classroom. I felt that I was trapped but the shepherd rejoiced greatly. I participated in Bible Academy with much reluctance, but after having listened to the sincere testimonies of my seniors I started Bible study.

In the Summer Bible Conference that was held that year, God enabled me to realize that Jesus carried his cross for me through Luke 23:34 “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”” I had thought that I had more integrity than others but I realized that I was a terrible sinner. Though I deserved to die, God saved me and forgave me of my sins of having wasted my time in cartoon books and games, of having indulged in the desires of the flesh, of having displeased God with fatalistic thoughts about my dark complexion, and most of all, of having led a life regardless of God. Also, through Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good,” God taught me that I was not a useless person compared with other people, but a most precious being in his eyes, that cannot be compared with others. Hopeless and useless as I was, God planted his vision in me through Genesis 12:2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing” and enabled me to preach his word from the second year of my university life as the only student shepherd in Kwangwoon University.

When I was in the army, God helped me to hold on to his Immanuel grace of always being with me through Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel—which means, ‘God with us.’” When I prayed to maintain my faith and to serve God, God blessed me to minister in the army church for a brief period of 6 months. Also, he helped me to enjoy reading the Bible as I read the Bible twice during my military service, and enabled me to read the Bible once every year after I discharged from the army. When I felt troubled because of school studies and my future direction, God made me join common life to receive training as one of his people through Moses’ faith in Hebrews 11:24-26. After graduation, God called me as a full-time shepherd, positioned me to serve the office in Kyungsung UBF, trained me into a servant of his word and led me into intense Bible study.

I thought that I could not participate in world mission because I was not fluent in foreign languages and did not have much ability. But as I served the Bible Conferences in Sri Lanka and South Africa, God taught me that such things did not matter. I started receiving missionary training in September in 2008, accepted that God’s calling as a missionary is his absolute and good calling that was destined since the beginning of creation, and geared myself up as a missionary.

God sent me to Mexico in January, 2009 as a short-term missionary. While I was a full-time shepherd in Korea, China, South Africa and then finally Mexico were nominated as my possible mission field. I went to Mexico with the prayer topics of mastering Spanish, learning missionary fieldwork, and making advances in my faith. I went happily because I had a clear vision that God would send me to Spain, and because God’s great hope for me was so overwhelming. God enabled me to learn Spanish as I dwelt in the tent on the 3rd floor of Mexico center,and made me learn Spanish through a 1-hour daily Spanish study with a native shepherd. I supported myself by teaching math to Korean students.

After the mission trip, which was short but very meaningful, I came back to Korea, and God helped me to prepare to go to Spain. After engagement with Shepherdess Esther, God opened a door to Spain by giving Shepherdess Esther a teaching position in a Korean weekend school. In November, God helped me to establish a blessed Spanish missionary house church through marriage with Shepherdess Esther, a beautiful woman of faith. Though the payment at the Korean school was small, I could learn that God dearly wanted to pioneer Spain, using this job as five loaves and two fish. By the end of November, God gave me a student visa and enabled me to go to Spain.

I sincerely thank God for calling a sinner like me as a missionary to Spain, instead of cutting me off. I was very blessed in 2009, and I realize that in 2010, I should bear his blessing and grace. If I do not bear God’s blessing, his blessing would not be a blessing anymore but a snare to me. Establishing a house church is not the goal; neither is going to Spain with the title of a missionary the ultimate purpose. God established our house church in order to serve God’s mission, and we should live as witnesses to Jesus. Hence, God gave us at the beginning of 2010, Romans 1:5 “Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith,” which is our family key verse and mission key verse. I pray that I may always remember God’s salvation grace, which I should never forget, and cannot possibly forget. Though there is nobody to help us in Spain, may God guide us to remember his leading and helping grace, to rely on him and serve his mission. I pray that I may serve God’s mission, remembering that my going to Spain is to call people from among all Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. Most of all, I pray that I may have a clear life purpose. I pray that I may live for God’s name, keeping in mind that God gave me his blessing not to use if for my glory or happiness but to do his work, to be a self-supporting missionary and to pioneer Spain for his name’s sake. May God reveal his glory in Spain.