Except for a few remaining dirty piles of snow here and there, the trace of the blizzard of 2016 is almost all gone.  Looking at the roads in front of my house, it’s hard to believe they were once covered with up to 36 inches of snow, trapping my entire family inside for 5 days.  I enjoy living in a single house on a quiet cul-de-sac except when a monster snow storm hits and the VDOT trucks visit your neighborhood last!  I had to use a vacation day because I couldn’t go in to work. Finally I made an arrangement for Pastor Eugene to pick me up at the nearest plowed road.  Imagine how ecstatic I was when I heard the beeping sound of the plow truck later that night!
I am sure everyone has a story or two to share about the blizzard of 2016.   As much as I desperately wanted to be set free from my ‘house arrest’, I do have to admit I enjoyed the valuable time I got to spend with my family.  Thank God we had food (lots of it!) and electricity to keep us warm and entertained.  We even got to play a fun board game called Sequence!
The VA Campus was closed altogether because of the unplowed parking lot. My family had our own family worship and was greatly inspired by one of Francis Chan’s Youtube messages. I was supposed to preach that Sunday so I had a sermon ready, but I would have felt awkward preaching to just my own family, especially with our dog sitting there as well!  My husband and I also joined the KC Service being broadcast live from the MD Campus via internet.  I was indeed thankful to those who ventured out in the snow to make the live broadcast possible. Rev. Dae Young Kim, the KC Senior Pastor, had to walk to the nearest plowed road to be picked up by one of the elders. No one would have complained had he decided to close the church, but he has emphasized the importance of the corporate Sunday Worship all along, and he was determined to ‘walk the talk.’ 
The church service being affect by the blizzard reminded me of the conversion story of Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest British preachers of the 19th century.  Though he grew up in a Christian home, he always struggled with his salvation. He felt condemned by God. One winter Sunday morning, the 15-year-old Spurgeon left home to go to church, but due to a major snow storm, he had to take a detour onto a side street. There he entered a small church to escape the snow storm.  Only a handful of people were sitting inside, and an unknown substitute preacher nervously stepped into the pulpit and read his text, Isaiah 45:22 “Turn to me and be saved,  all you ends of the earth;  for I am God, and there is no other.”
What happened next was recorded in Spurgeon’s Autobiography as follows:
 “He had not much to say, thank God, for that compelled him to keep on repeating his text, and there was nothing needed—by me, at any rate except his text.… Then I had this vision—not a vision to my eyes, but to my heart. I saw what a Savior Christ was.… Now I can never tell you how it was, but I no sooner saw whom I was to believe than I also understood what it was to believe, and I did believe in one moment.”
The sovereign God had orchestrated the events of that day to deliver Spurgeon from his misery and call him as his instrument for the next 40 years.  We serve the same amazing God. Whether we are going through a monstrous snow storm in life or enjoying a warm sunny day, we should remember “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28)

From Pastor Sara’s Heart
February 7, 2016

Earlier this month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the birth of his daughter and his plans to give away 99 percent of his Facebook shares, valued at $45 billion, throughout his life time. The donation will fund a charitable initiative to try to make the world a better place for children in the next generation.  As soon as I heard the news, I was busy calculating how much money the Zuckerbergs will be left with. Even after giving away 99 percent, they would still have $450 million in stock!  ‘No wonder,’ I thought to myself, ‘If I were them, I would give away 99.9 percent!’ 
With all kidding aside, it is admirable that the Zuckerbergs decided to make such a generous donation.  What impresses me even more, however, is the fact that they made this decision so early in life. They didn’t wait till their 60’s or 70’s, till after having indulged themselves to the fullest first. I find it quite refreshing and inspirational.  I hope more young people follow their suit.
Ironically, about the same time, I came across an article addressing the negative effects of social media such as Facebook or Instagram upon young people.  The article states the suicide rate among 15 to 24-year-olds in the U.S. has increased steadily over the years.  College counseling centers report that a majority of their clients suffer from severe psychological problems such as anxiety and depression.  So what is going on?  Is life really that bad for our young people?
There is no simple answer as to why our young people struggle so much, but the article points to social media as one of the contributing factors. It points out how kids (and adults) post pictures of their unrealistic life on social media, and viewers believe it and get jealous or even depressed by it.  We Photoshop. We touch up. We edit.  We exaggerate.  Social media fails to tell the whole truth, and many young people feel like they are the only ones struggling while everyone else is doing great – taking amazing family vacations, enjoying delicious meals, being invited to special events, etc.  
After having read the article, I visited Facebook, and sure enough I too felt conflicted:
She never ages (But I have tons of age spots and wrinkles)
They are going on another vacation (I have too much work to enjoy my life)
They are engaged! (What’s wrong with my children?)
And I am guilty as well.  We took tons of family pictures at Thanksgiving, and before my daughter could post them on Facebook, I inspected each picture to pick out the best one.   It didn’t matter how everyone else looked as long as I looked good! 
With or without social media, the fact of the matter is that our fallen human nature yearns for the praise from men more than praise from God. It seeks the approval of men rather than the approval of God.  Unless we find true satisfaction and fulfillment in who we are in Jesus Christ, not in what we do or what we have, we will never be fully content no matter how successful we become. The words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinth. 4:18 is a good reminder that there is more to life than meets the eye.  “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  Let us rejoice over the promise and the amazing ‘picture’ of heaven described in the Bible.  And that’s not an exaggeration. It’s the whole truth.  I ‘Like’ it a lot!
 
From Pastor Sara’s Heart
December 13, 2015

The Church for All Nations was founded in the fall of 2005.  Since its humble beginnings, however, God has blessed the church tremendously.  In 2010 they managed to purchase the multi-building complex that used to house the Korean Central Presbyterian Church in Vienna, Virginia.  Since then, under the leadership of their passionate Senior Pastor Rev. Hong Won-ki, they have experienced even more growth and were looking forward to celebrating their 10th anniversary.
Then the unthinkable happened!  In mid-June, the Senior Pastor’s wife, Chun Myung-hee Samonim, underwent what was supposed to be a minimally invasive surgery to correct twisted intestines. However, she never walked out of the hospital alive.  From what I heard, she got infected with a deadly virus while at the hospital, which caused her organs to shut down one by one.  After several weeks of agony and suffering, she finally went home to Jesus her Savior last Sunday.
I don’ know the late Chun Samonim personally. I’ve never even met her.  But with advances in electronic communications (such as Kakaotalk, text messages, email,  etc.), literally hundreds and even thousands of people in this area, regardless of their denominations or church affiliations, were kept abreast of her latest condition and interceded fervently for her.  Many fasted and cried out to the Lord to save her. She was only in her mid-50’s,  had two unmarried children, and still had a lot to do as the Senior Pastor’s wife of a large Korean American church.    Nonetheless, God called her home at His appointed time. 
I wasn’t mad at God, but I struggled to understand why God didn’t answer our ‘good, selfless’ prayer request to save her.   So I had to remind myself of God’s absolute goodness through the song lyrics, “God is too wise to be mistaken. God is too good to be unkind. So when you don't understand, when you don't see His plan,  when you can't trace His hand, trust His heart.” 
Then during my Quiet Time, God answered my question through the story of Lazarus.  When Jesus finally came to see Lazarus, his sister Mary fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”   That’s probably true.  But if Jesus had been there earlier, He wouldn’t have had to raise Lazarus from the dead, but just heal him.  They would not have witnessed Jesus’ power to raise the dead, and then John 12:11, “For an account of him (i.e. Lazarus coming back to life) many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in Him,” would not have happened, either.  Jesus allowed Lazarus to die and come back to life so more people could believe in Jesus and be saved.
There was no such miracle in the case of the late Chun Samonim.  However, we witnessed a different kind of a miracle - many churches and believers coming together to cry out to God in such beautiful unity and love.  I believe this marks the beginning of a new era, with numerous Korean American churches in our area joining forces to fight against Satan our common enemy in taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth!  I firmly believe that Chun Samonim’s death will, just as much as Lazarus’ resurrection did, result in many lives being saved!   She indeed is a kernel of wheat that died to bear much fruit. That’s not a tragedy, but a privilege! She is blessed indeed.

From Pastor Sara’s Heart
July 12, 2015

This Monday is Memorial Day.   This Federal holiday is said to have its origins in honoring soldiers killed in the American Civil War back in 1866.  Since then American soldiers have fought in many wars, both at home and abroad, and on Memorial Day we are to honor all who died while serving in the military.  I do have to confess, however, that I spend more time thinking about the Memorial Day cook-out and the beginning of summer than remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy freedom, comfort, and joy of life in this great nation.  As I started thinking about Memorial Day, I became curious as to how many US soldiers have died in various wars over the years and found the following data (Sources: US Army Military History Institute; iCasualties.org):

*These numbers reflect only reported war deaths and do not include those wounded and/or missing.

It’s quite ironic and all the more tragic that more US soldiers died fighting against their own countrymen on their own soil than fighting enemies abroad.  To this Korean-American mother, however, the 36,516 soldiers who lost their lives during the Korean War, while defending South Korea from the communist North Korea and China, stand out the most.  So many mothers had their hearts broken over their child’s death on the Korean peninsula!  It’s one thing to lose your child in defending your own country, but have your her child sacrificed for a small obscure country thousands of miles away?  These soldiers, however, certainly did not die in vain.  Because of their sacrifices, South Korea has remained a free, democratic country and has experienced exponential growth in all areas of society, becoming one of the world’s leaders! On a per capita basis, South Korea sends out the most missionaries in the world.  If it had not been for the US and other allies that fought against the communist forces, there probably would be no South Korea today. Instead, there likely would be a unified Korea, but under a communist regime similar to that of today’s North Korea.  Just to think about that horrible possibility gives me chills.  I certainly wouldn’t be who I am or where I am if that had been the case!  I certainly wouldn’t be writing this column this day!

So this Memorial Day on behalf of all the freedom-enjoying people of South Korea, I’d like to express my sincere thanks to all who lost their lives during the Korean War as well as the veterans for sacrificing so much for our freedom.  That priceless, but not free, freedom has led many of us to our ultimate, eternal freedom in Jesus Christ, and for that we will indeed be grateful forever.  I do hope to see many of them in heaven someday and give them a heartfelt salute!

From Pastor Sara’s Heart

May 24, 2015

This past week I attended a fundraiser banquet sponsored by Child Evangelism Fellowship® (CEF) of Northern Virginia.  Under the theme of “Send the Light,” the banquet sought to raise awareness of the awesome opportunity to minister to the children of Northern Virginia and raise the funds necessary to expand the work of CEF NOVA through Good News Clubs® (GNC). Good News Clubs provide children in public schools (yes, public schools!) an opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and learn how much God loves them.  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2001 (in Good News Clubs v. Milford Central School District) that Good News Clubs can meet in public schools after school hours on the same terms as other community groups with parental permission.  
Studies have shown that from 60 to 85 percent of all Christians make the decision to follow Jesus Christ before reaching the age of 12.  The 2001 Supreme Court decision helped open the doors to teach God’s Word to tens of thousands of children in this age group.  And in Northern Virginia alone, children from more than 80 different ethnic backgrounds attend public schools, effectively turning public schools into a mission field ready for harvest.  Good News Clubs indeed provide an awesome opportunity to get involved in “overseas” missions without having to travel overseas!  
Good News Clubs meet once a week in the public schools during the school year for about 90 minutes. They are led by a team of three to four volunteers who love children and desire that they come to know Jesus Christ personally and grow in Him.   Over 5,000 Good News Clubs are being held in public elementary schools across the USA.  In Northern Virginia, 28 schools (out of about 330 public elementary schools) have Good News Clubs, reaching close to 900 children each week. In Maryland, Good News Clubs are in over 70 schools (out of 900 elementary schools). This means there still remain over 1000 public elementary schools in Northern Virginia and Maryland without Good News Clubs, having forfeited the opportunity to reach children who may never hear the Gospel otherwise.
To get a GNC in every public school may seem like an impossible task, but it can happen if more volunteers and churches are involved.  I don’t have the exact numbers, but I believe if every church adopted one nearby elementary school, all the remaining schools will be covered.  We at NCFC spend thousands of dollars take the Gospel “to the ends of the earth” through overseas short-term missions, and we should.  But how about ministering to the children from the ends of the earth and are living right in our own backyards as well?  If you cannot volunteer your time, you can help other volunteers through your tax-deductible donations so necessary supplies and snacks can be purchased.  Do you know if your child’s school already has a GNC? If so, would you be willing to volunteer your time?  If not, would you be willing to prayerfully consider starting one?
Several members of NCFC Virginia Campus have also attended the CEF banquet, and I am super excited that a few of them are prayerfully considering adopting an elementary school in the Ashburn area.  Jesus has said, “It is not my heavenly Father's will that even one of these little ones should perish.”  I pray that NCFC members become more active in preaching the Gospel to the children in our “Jerusalem” first, and then be His “witnesses in all Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

From Pastor Sara’s Heart
March 29, 2015

Next month I turn 53. I know this is very shocking to many of you because I do not look that old. Maybe 49, but certainly not 53!  Sometimes I am shocked myself when I have to tell others how old I am.  I still feel like a little kid, okay maybe not that young, but certainly like a young woman in my heart, but the fact of the matter is I am old enough to be a grandmother.  I know many people who are already grandparents at my age or even younger!  I cannot imagine being a grandmother right now, but I am sure when the time comes (sooner than later I hope, okay Daniel and Stacey?), I will handle the new role like a pro.  After all, I used to say, “I cannot imagine being married” yet have been married for almost 28 years.  I used to say, “I cannot imagine being a mom,” and now I cannot remember what my life was like before kids.  Though it’s hard for me to imagine holding a grandchild in my arms, I am sure I will love it when the time comes.  I look forward to enjoying  my grandchildren, but the part that I look forward to the most is being able to send them home with their parents whenever I need my own time!  Hallelujah!
Let me not be carried away too far here. Why am I talking about grandchildren when neither one of my children is dating anybody, unless of course they are not telling me something?  With all kidding aside, however, I pray for my children, not just to have an easy, comfortable life, but to have their God-ordained destiny fulfilled.  I trust in God’s perfect timing and His perfect match-making skills. So I resolve not to nag my children about their rather ‘quiet’ social life! 
Back to the point about my getting old, in the past, celebrating my birthday each year was no big deal for me.  I am not a very emotional, sentimental person (yes, you guessed it. I am a Choleric!), so it never really bothered me that I was aging.  That changed a few months ago when my right shoulder began to hurt so much that doing simple everyday tasks such as lifting grocery bags or putting on clothes became very challenging. When I finally went to a physical therapist, I was told that my shoulder was in the process of ‘freezing’, not because of an injury, but simply due to aging.  Till then my age was just a number in my head, but it really hit home that I was getting old.  At the same time, however, just as Paul’s thorn in the flesh acted as a constant reminder that God’s grace was sufficient for him, my shoulder pain has served as a good wake-up call that life is indeed short. I mean it’s not like I am going to die due to should pain, but I realize that I am not in the prime of life any more, that I have a limited number of years and limited physical mobility and energy left to serve God and His people.  What I took for granted all these years, my health and my time, may be fast fleeting.  That realization compels me to be more purposeful and intentional on how I live each day. I feel like I’ve been Martha for the most of my life, but this aging Martha now has no option but to become more like Mary, sitting at Jesus’ feet, spending more time listening than doing.  That’s a very good thing.  So I choose to thank God for my ‘freezing’ shoulder.  I do hope my shoulder heals completely one day, but even if it doesn’t, I shall consider it my thorn in the flesh and confess “God’s grace is sufficient for me, for His power is made perfect in weakness.”  King Solomon has said, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come.”  I second that. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of not being able to lift your arms fully to worship Him come!

From Pastor Sara’s Heart
February 15, 2015

How was your Christmas?  Did you enjoy (or at least successfully tolerate) getting together and catching up with your extended family members? Did you get the presents you hoped you’d get?    Or do you have a pile of presents that you need to return? I am no psychologist, but now that Christmas is past, I can predict that people will generally fall into three groups:
The first group of people are the ones who feel happy and blessed because they received what they really wanted for Christmas. Their joy, however, is likely to be short-lived, lasting until a newer, faster, slimmer version of the awesome gadget they are so much in love with comes out.
The second group of people are the ones who feel angry and taken advantage of because they went out of their way to treat others, yet they did not get as much in return. They realize they will be hit with a huge credit card bill next month, and they grow angrier and angrier every time they pass by the box of fruitcake no one wants to even try (no offense if the reader happens to have given a fruitcake as a gift!). 
The third group of people are the ones who suffer from what they call a “Post-Christmas syndrome.” These are the people who had such high hopes for Christmas, now that it’s over with all of the holiday hoopla gone, they experience a big let-down, even feelings of depression. These holiday blues may be due to a variety of factors.  Perhaps the holidays were not as festive or celebratory as expected, their plans fell through, or expectations simply were not met, whatever they might have expected. 
I can relate to the feelings of post-Christmas blues because I experienced it first-hand as a young girl growing up in Korea. I did not grow up in a Christian home. In fact my mother was a Buddhist and frequently visited a Buddhist temple.  As a result, I had no idea what the real meaning of Christmas was, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.  That understanding and appreciation for Christmas came much later after my family immigrated to the US and started attending church and I became a follower of Jesus Christ.
I still vividly remember feeling letdown on Christmas morning.  I cannot quite remember what kinds of presents each of us children received from our parents, but I am sure we received something. Back then no one received multiple gifts like kids do this day and age. I think we are spoiling our kids too much, but that’s for another column.  Honestly it wasn’t because I was disappointed with what I received from my parents, but a feeling of emptiness, a sense of “there must be something more than this”, was overwhelming even for a young girl.  I couldn’t understand why some people seemed genuinely so thankful and joyful around Christmas.  The happier people seemed at Christmas, the more miserable and left out I felt.   Now that I know and understand the true reason for celebrating Christmas, I wish some of my Christian school friends had shared the Gospel with me.  I would’ve not have suffered from post-Christmas blues then.
But praise God that I no longer suffer from a post-Christmas syndrome (well, except for clothes fitting a little too tight!)!  In fact, I do not have to suffer from any blues - pre, mid, or post-Christmas. In fact, with God Immanuel, the indwelling Christ, in my life, every day is Christmas.  And He is the one gift that I never want to return!

From Pastor Sara’s Heart
December 28, 2014

I’d like share with you one of my favorite Christmas stories originally told by Paul Harvey.  I hope this story help bring forth a deeper understanding and appreciation for Jesus Christ, God incarnate, as you celebrate Christmas this year.  
A man was invited by his wife and children to go to the Christmas Eve service at their church. He refused to go saying, "I don't understand how a God who is supposed to be loving and kind can let mankind suffer so much. Why would He decide to become a man and be born as a baby in a manger, no less? There is no logic in such an absurd idea, and I just can't accept it." So his wife and children went to church without him.
Shortly after the family left, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair to enjoy a nice quite evening alone.  Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound, then another, and then another. At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his window. But when he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They’d been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, were trying to fly through his large window.
Feeling sorry for the birds, he came up with a great idea. He would open the barn doors and let the birds spend the night there. He put on his coat and boots and trudged out to the barn, opened the doors wide, and turned on a light.  But the birds just kept flying against his window, trying to get in. 
He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house and sprinkled bread crumbs on the snow, making a trail to the lighted wide-open doorway of the barn. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them, waving his arms.  But to no avail, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.
“What’s wrong with these birds?” he thought. Then he realized that they were afraid of him. To them he was a strange and terrifying creature. “How can I let them know that they can trust me, that I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them?” he felt frustrated and distraught. “Oh, if only I could become a bird like they are and speak their language! Then I could tell them not to be afraid and show them the way to the barn.  I wish I could become one of them so they could hear and understand me!”
At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel," which means, "God with us." (Matthew 1:22-23)

From Pastor Sara’s Heart
December 22, 2013

Recently I came across a moving prayer written by Missionary Horace G. Underwood, who served in Korea from 1885 to 1916, more than half of his life.  Despite the enormous culture gap and language barrier, he didn't give up, and God most definitely answered his desperate prayers for Korea.  Read the prayer below and decide for yourself.
Title: The Heart of Chosun (조선, Korea's old name) That I Cannot Comprehend

“Lord, nothing is visible at this moment. Lord, you have planted us on this barren and poor land, where not even a single tree can grow tall enough.
It is such a miracle that we could come to this land across the wide wide Pacific Ocean. Nothing is visible, though, in this land on which we seem to have been dropped off by your hand.
Only stubbornly stained darkness can be seen. 
Only Korean people chained with poverty and superstition can be seen.
They don't even know why they are chained, what suffering is.
They just distrust us and express anger to us as we tell them
how to take away their suffering, which is not suffering to them.
The thoughts of Korean men are not visible.
The mind of this government is not visible.
We are afraid that we may not have any more opportunity
to see the women commuting on kamas (가마, a cart covered and carried by men).
And we do not see what to do.
Yet, Lord! We will obey.
We believe that you begin your work as we humbly obey, 
And that the day will come when our spiritual eyes will see your work 
according to your Words, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
We believe that we will see the future of the faith of Korea.
Although we are as if standing on a desert with bare hands, 
although we are condemned to be Western devils, 
We believe that the day will come when they will rejoice with tears realizing
that they are one with our spirit in Christ, and that we all have one Kingdom and one Father in Heaven.
Although there is no church to worship you, no school to study,
although this land is filled with doubt of suspicion, contempt, and disdain,
we believe that in the near future this land will become a land of blessing.”

100 years later, Korea indeed has become ‘a land of blessing,’ the world’s second-largest missionary-sending nation after US.   Thank you, Missionary Underwood, for your faithful prayers for Korea! 

From Pastor Sara’s Heart
November 17, 2013

Recently I heard very interesting and at the same time shocking news.  I had not heard about it until then, but apparently a non-profit Dutch company named Mars One announced their plans to build a colony on Mars back in April, and over 10,000 people from more than 100 countries have responded to become volunteer astronauts.  Anyone 18 or older may apply via video with a $38 application fee. The mission’s budget is said to be approximately $6 billion.  Departure for the Red Planet is scheduled for 2022, landing seven months later in 2023.   If all goes successfully, Mars One intends for a crew of four (two men and two women) to join every two years or so.   Once selected, a group of 40 astronauts will undergo seven years of training to increase their chances of survival on the tough, dangerous planet, where the atmosphere is very thin, the average temperature is about -50 degrees Celsius, and what water remains is either frozen or hidden in deep underground springs.  They will have to take care of sickness and injuries themselves and live on dried and canned food for extended periods.
Even though this kind of daring adventure does not appeal to me personally, I can see how some space exploration enthusiasts would be willing to take a risk to be the first ones to put their feet on the planet where no human being has ever walked on before.  What really shocked me, however, about this project is that what Mars One is offering is a one-way ticket to Mars!  That is the volunteer astronauts will never return to earth.  They will finish out their lives on Mars.  What is the reason?  It is because the one-way trip makes the mission possible by greatly reducing the cost, and the technology for a return flight does not exist.   I don’t care how miserable your life here on earth may be, but the finality of being isolated on a strange, harsh planet without the option to ever change your mind scares me just to think about it.  Even when I am on a family vacation, I often find myself wanting to go back home after some period of time. So I cannot comprehend why anybody would even entertain such an option.
Then this past Tuesday I attended the funeral service for Elder Young Shin (Courtney, Alice, Michelle, and Bobby’s dad), who had passed away in his sleep from a heart attack.  He’s had numerous health issues all his life, but no one was quite prepared to lose him so suddenly and unexpectedly.  It was a beautiful, God-honoring service with many people in attendance.  The highlight of the evening for me was the heartfelt eulogies shared by each of his four children. They were crying and laughing as they were reminiscing fondly about the special times they each spent with their dad.  In the midst of their sorrow, however, they could rejoice, knowing their dad is with Jesus Christ, the One whom he loved with such passion all his life.  One day all his loved ones will join him in heaven and have a fabulous family reunion.  This time they will be together forever.  Then it dawned on me.  Yes, there IS a place worth going to with a one-way ticket.  It’s a place we all MUST go to with a one-way ticket.  We don’t apply or qualify for the ticket; Jesus has already purchased the one-way tickets for us with His precious blood.  8”For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2:8)

From Pastor Sara’s Heart
July 14, 2013

As most of you know, my husband and I plan to go out as long-term missionaries and are earnestly seeking God’s will regarding where and when.  We visited YWAM in Kona, Hawaii back in April and came back quite excited about the possibility of joining YWAM.  With Elder Frank’s background in computer networking and YWAM bases around the world that could benefit from his expertise, it seemed like that’s where God was leading us.  Then a few months later, we met with Pastor Daniel and Ruth and were challenged to pray about another possibility.  After having run the SICAP Center (equivalent of a Bible college) in Samar, Philippines for the past 16 years with much fruit, Pastor Daniel has been called by God to serve as the GP USA National Executive Director in CA.  As excited as they are for the new platform to mobilize more 1.5 Korean-Americans into mission fields, they are understandably concerned about the continued well-being of the SICAP center.  When they heard about our plan for long-term missions, they contacted and asked us to pray about the SICAP Center opportunity.
Not having been able to make the decision one way or the other, Elder Frank and I plan to visit the SICAP Center in late January to seek God’s will.  On the way back from the Philippines, we will spend a few days in Korea. While there I want to visit the Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery, where more than 160 foreign missionaries to Korea (including family members) are buried.  Trying to obtain the visiting hours and directions, I checked out their website (http://www.yanghwajin.net) and came across a missionary I’ve never heard of.  Her name is Ruby Rachel Kendrick, born in 1883 in Texas who died in 1907 at the age of 25 as a missionary in Korea.  After her arrival in Songdo, North Korea, she led morning prayers, taught English, and took care of sick children, but unfortunately died from exhaustion after only nine months in Korea. 
Missionary Kendrick used to say, “If my work here in Korea is to be so short, I want to write to the young people at home to come and take my place.”  Many young people did follow in her footsteps and became missionaries to Korea, and nearly $120,000, which was a phenomenal amount of money back in the early 1900’s, was raised through the Ruby Kendrick Memorial Fund.  The epitaph on her tombstone reads, “If I had a thousand lives to give, Korea should have them all.”  I was shocked by this statement.  What could have possibly caused a young woman, after having spent only several months in a small, obscure country that no one really cared about, to say something so touching and humbling!  It could not have been just her passion for Korea, but God’s passion for Korea that she carried in her heart.  Today we see many seeds produced by this precious ‘kernel of wheat’ that laid down her life. Korea is the second largest missionary sending nation after the US.
As I sat amazed by Missionary Kendrick’s story, I was reminded that’s what Christmas is all about – remembering and honoring the greatest missionary in history, Jesus Christ.  Yet because we celebrate Christmas year after year, we no longer seem to be amazed by His story. I pray that our sense of ‘shock and awe’ of what Jesus endured for us would be rekindled this Christmas.  And rejoice! You will NOT find Jesus’ tomb in Yanghwajin or anywhere else; He is back on His heavenly throne, waiting to return to earth soon as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

From Pastor Sara’s Heart
December 16, 2012

How was your Thanksgiving break?  Mine was one of the most peaceful in recent years.  No, I did not just eat and sleep all day.  In fact, I was quite busy hosting a huge Thanksgiving family get-together at my house.   Incidentally, the highlight of the Thanksgiving break for me was the success of my first-ever cooked turkey!  Thanks to the step-by-step online instructions, my turkey and all its trimmings turned out quite fabulously.   With the laptop right on the kitchen counter, it was like having a private cooking instructor right alongside me.  As wonderful as these online cooking assistances are, however, it no longer affords us an excuse not to be able to cook something.  At this rate, sooner or later, our husbands may demand we turn out Martha Stewart-ish dishes! 
The reason I felt peaceful and well-rested, I believe, has to do with how I spent the days following Thanksgiving – to be more specific, how I did not get lured into the Black Friday or Cyber Monday bargain hunting insanity.  Yes, I do confess I too have “been there and done that” in the past, but this year I had NO desire whatsoever to be a part of it.  Did I finally become completely sanctified, become like Jesus, with no worldly desires?  Did I get too old and weak to engage in this physically and mentally challenging endeavor?  Or was it because I now have everything I ever needed or wanted?  We all know that’s not the case.
Then why was it different this year?  How was I able to overcome the fierce enticement of amazing Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals?  I came up with three reasons, and I hope to apply these principles not only during the Thanksgiving holidays, but throughout the year from now on.  First, my mind was preoccupied with successfully hosting my first ever Thanksgiving party, which was going to be my way of expressing appreciation for each family member, who has so richly blessed my life.  With that “loftier” goal in mind, my selfish desire and need became less significant.  Secondly, as soon as all the sales ads were delivered home, they were dumped straight into the recycling bin.  Eve was tempted and subsequently sinned because she allowed her eyes to keep gazing at the forbidden fruit.  I knew better not to have them around to stimulate and overwhelm “the cravings of my sinful heart and the lust of my eyes.”  Thirdly, and most importantly, I had no desire to add even one more item to the ton of “stuff” we’ve accumulated over the years.  Most of these were probably things that  we ‘had to have’ at the time, but in this new season of our lives  as we prepare to go out as long-term missionaries, we wish we didn’t have as much stuff to have to get rid of. 
It’s not that we’ve lived a life of excessive luxury or indulgence (ask my children; they’ll vouch for it), but we surely could have done without a whole lot of things.  Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34).  I cannot help but think, “What if all this stuff distracted us from solely looking to Jesus for true satisfaction?  How much more fruit would we have been able to bear if we had invested more into the lives of other people?”  But thank God that He is the God of second chances!  As Elder Frank and I follow the Holy Spirit’s lead into the next phase of our lives, we pray we will no longer be weighed down by the things of the world, but passionately pursue after God’s heart.  We desire to “travel light, dwell deep” for the remainder of our lives.

From Pastor Sara’s Heart
December 2, 2012

It dawned on me a couple days ago that Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away!  That means the most stressful time of the year for me - the time between Thanksgiving and the New Year - is fast approaching.  When I was younger, Thanksgiving as well as other holidays used to stir up excitement and nostalgic emotions in anticipation of big family gatherings and subsequent feasts.  However, since I’ve married and become a daughter-in-law in an ever-expanding family – 34 family members over four generations and still growing – this time of the year has traditionally been an anxious and stressful time for me.  As much as I enjoy spending time with my family members, I do not look forward to the many hours of house cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking, gift buying, gift wrapping, more cooking, and more cleaning. 
And it does not help that December is one of the busiest months of the year ministry-wise.  With various Christmas and end of the year programs and services along with the Timothy Winter Retreat, I have to confess that I don’t feel as peaceful and joyful as I should.  As special and important as each of these events is, it can definitely be a case of too much of a good thing.  I consider it a privilege and honor to be a woman pastor, but during times like this, I find it really challenging to balance my time between fulfilling my role as a mother and a daughter-in-law and being a dedicated pastor.
I realize that this struggle, however, is not unique to me, but is shared by all working women who try to balance their time between their family and work.  The age-old debate between stay-at-home mothers vs. working mothers is a very sensitive one.  As a mother who’s always worked outside the home while my children were growing up, I have mixed feelings about the topic. I do not believe one option is necessarily better than the other.  I’ve observed many mothers at our church over the years on both sides of the fence, but have not been able to form a definitive opinion on the heated debate.  I can, however, say pretty comfortably, that a mother’s influence on her child does not proportionally correlate to the amount of time she spends with her child, her highest level of education, or her financial resources.  Mothers who are able to exert their Godly influences the most, thereby helping build a solid foundation of faith that their children can build upon, are the ones who are confident about and content with being unconditionally loved by the King!
This will be the very first Thanksgiving that I will be celebrating without my mother since she passed away back in February.  I miss her very much, and Thanksgiving dinner will never be the same without her. My mother was not well-educated or rich.  She did not have any worldly accomplishments, and she was sick a lot throughout her life.  By the world’s standards she did not have much to offer to her children.  However, she knew who she was in Christ. She never pretended to be someone she was not or to have what she did not possess.  She was confident about her salvation by grace through her faith in Jesus Christ and was thankful for the littlest things in life despite her struggles. Her attitude of thanksgiving and contentment in Christ left an indelible mark upon her children.  I hope and pray to influence my children as much as my mother did.  So as stressful as it is to be a married woman with children and a pastor during this busy season, I thank God that He created me to be a woman. I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

From Pastor Sara’s Heart
November 11, 2012

 It is hard to believe that in about three days we will know who will occupy the White House for the next four years.  I hope everyone who is eligible to vote has already cast their vote or is definitely planning to do so on Tuesday.  Who should you vote for as the next president of the US?  If you haven’t made up your mind yet, you should definitely vote for my candidate, the candidate of God’s choice! 
With all kidding aside, I hope everyone prayerfully seeks God’s guidance in selecting the next president.  I happen to live in the “swing” state of Virginia, where one vote is likely to make a difference one way or another on the outcome. However, many states – including Maryland – historically lean heavily one way, making voters of the opposing party feel as if their votes will not make any difference.
Often times we feel insignificant and unable to make a difference whether it is at home, at school, at work, or at church. “What can I do?  I am just one person,” is often the excuse we use to avoid getting involved with a cause that we feel strongly about. In times like those I remind myself of the Genesis account of Abraham pleading to God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah from destruction. Ultimately the two cities are destroyed completely by fire and brimstone because not even ten righteous men could be found in these cities of tens of thousands of people.  Am I saying that ten extra people showing up to vote will definitely make a difference in this presidential election?  No, although that is possible.  What is important to keep in mind, however, is to never underestimate the power of one - one idea, one vote, or one conviction.  No matter how impossible the odds seem, we who have been called to be the salt and light of the world should continue to “expect great things from God and attempt great things for God” as William Carey did.
Just as heated as the presidential election itself, seems to be the fight over what is known as “Question 7” on Maryland ballots.  I do not know all the details, but basically it is a vote on whether to make gambling more accessible to Marylanders and nearby residents. The plan includes building a new video lottery facility in PG County, increasing the number of lottery machines, and allowing video lottery facilities to operate 24/7. People with good intentions on both sides of the issue argue why voting for or against Question 7 will benefit the residents of Maryland.  The proponents say the proceeds from the expanded gambling industry will benefit the public schools while the opponents say it will further ruin the lives of those who are already susceptible to gambling. 
I am sure this is a complex issue with multiple dimensions, and I have not formed my opinion based on thorough research.  However, my gut instinct is against Question 7.  Why?  Simply put, I do not believe “the end justifies the means.”  When King Saul defeated the Amalekites in 1 Samuel, he spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD despite God’s command to destroy everything.  King Saul’s intention might have been honorable, but he disobeyed God in the process.  So my beloved MD church family members, regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, pray hard for God’s perfect will to be done for the nation and for your state. But do your part; go vote. 

From Pastor Sara’s Heart
November 4, 2012

On the second day of our stay in Rome, we got up super early, ate a hearty breakfast, put on comfortable shoes, and got on the subway headed for Vatican City with a tour book in tow. We were confident we would surely beat the crowd with an early start.  In addition, we were smart enough to plan our visit to this tourist-magnet in October, not in the middle of the busy summer months, so we figured we wouldn’t have to spend a lot of our precious time waiting in lines.  We had even purchased tickets online, and we felt good about ourselves!
But as soon as we arrived at the metro station closest to Vatican City, we realized that a whole lot of other people had the same plan!  As if we were competing in a speed-walking event, the three of us walked as fast as our short legs could carry us to get ahead of the mob of people headed in the same direction. Even with all that advance planning, however, we still ended up waiting in line for the security check and to rent an English audioguide for the Vatican Museums tour. You indeed need a lot of stamina and patience to visit the Vatican City.
They say you haven’t seen Rome unless you have been to the Vatican Museums so we were determined to take the time to explore every gallery.  However, we soon realized that doing this might take a whole week or more! The galleries were filled with so many amazing, breathtaking, magnificent (I need more adjectives to do them justice) works of art - paintings, sculptures, tapestries, etc. - that after a while my mind couldn’t handle any more.  It was definitely a case of too much of a good thing, an awesomeness overload!  But we had no choice but to move slowly with the mob in order to reach the pinnacle, the Sistine Chapel, with its famous painted ceiling depiction of the creation account by Michaelangelo.  Incidentally, the Sistine Chapel is also important in that the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church is elected there.
While I was glad to see the most famous ceiling image, “The Creation of Adam,” I was more impressed with and touched by the huge painting on the wall titled “The Last Judgment,” done by Michaelangelo some 25 years after painting the ceiling.  The older Michaelangelo depicts the second coming of Christ and the ensuing judgment.  With Christ in the center, the damned who are being pulled down to hell to be tortured by demons are to His left while the blessed who rise from their graves to enter heaven are to His right.  In addition, Christ is surrounded by important figures in church history, including many martyrs who suffered particularly painful deaths. One particular image that is still vivid in my mind is that of Saint Bartholomew, holding a knife in one hand and his own skin in his other hand.  He is known to have been martyred by being skinned alive.  What a painful and slow death he must have suffered for the sake of Christ!  As great as that suffering must have been, however, it is still nothing compared to being tortured by demons, as the painter seems to convey.
What really struck me was how many of those tens of thousands of daily tourists will just walk away from that painting, considering it as a depiction of a fairy tale or the artist’s wild imagination.  Many may even be shaken by the disturbing nature of the painting, but within a few minutes of leaving the chapel, will forget about it.  I too would have been one of those passerby tourists had it not been for Jesus Christ who saved me out of millions.  Why me and not them? I may never know, but I am eternally grateful for His amazing grace.  How about you?

From Pastor Sara’s Heart
October 28, 2012

In case you were wondering why Pastor Sara was nowhere to be seen last Sunday, I was away in Italy for a week!  I have two special friends that I’ve known for more than 30 years, and when we all turned 45 and realized that we weren’t getting any younger, we decided to take trips of our own every two years without our children or husbands.  We live in three separate states, each busy with family and professional responsibilities, so we have to intentionally plan time for ourselves to maintain our precious friendships. This was our second international travel after our trip to Paris four years ago.  There are so many interesting cities in Italy, such as Rome, Venice, Florence, Pompeii, and Naples just to name a few, but since we didn’t want to spend all our precious time on the road travelling from one city to another, we decided to spend half of our time in Rome, visiting the many tourist attractions and the remaining days on the beautiful Amalfi Coast located in the southwestern region of Italy, relaxing and enjoying the breathtaking view of the Mediterranean Sea. 
While in Rome we visited many world-famous structures, including the Colosseum, Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon (ancient Roman temple), and several other ancient landmarks.  The Colosseum was definitely one of the most extraordinary places I’ve visited in my life. It was not just its amazing architecture or impressive size, but the sense of its gory history stirred up something in me. While so many tourists from all over the world were casually strolling through the structure, posing for pictures here and there, it dawned on me that it was here that gladiators engaged in deadly combat and condemned prisoners fought off hungry lions while tens of thousands of Roman citizens were cheering on. During mass battles, the smell of blood and burnt flesh and that of wild animals became unbearable.
According to the tour guide, such violence was considered rousing entertainment.   It also served as a crime deterrent, reminding people of the brutal punishment for criminals and prisoners of war. Another important function of these brutal public events was to give the citizens something to occupy their minds with - to distract them from political and economic problems.  As soon as I heard the word ‘distract,’ I could not help but think of all the year-round sporting events that keep many people occupied and obsessed in the US, while distracting them from dealing with real life problems.  When baseball season nears its end, football season is in full swing. Once football season winds down, basketball games begin. And then back to baseball and so on. Sports - and any other entertainment for that matter - are not harmful in and of themselves.  However, if all our leisure time, energy, and resources are spent on them, Satan surely has succeeded in distracting us from pursuing joy and satisfaction in God.  Just as the emperors used the gladiators and wild animals to create spectacular scenes to control the crowd, Satan has used the media, electronic gadgets, music idols, sporting events, and other means to distract born-again Christians from seeking and fulfilling God’s will for their lives, to render them ineffective as God’s people.  The scheme of the enemy has remained pretty much the same from the very beginning.  It’s to distract us, to keep us occupied with things of this world.  Tragically, too many of us have fallen victim.  We must wake up and walk out of this modern-day Colosseum.

From Pastor Sara’s Heart
October 21, 2012