The Spirit of the Sovereign God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor;
He has sent me to bind up the borken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness
for the prisoners,
To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion -
To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
And a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.
Isaiah 61:1-3
June 7, 2012
In every word and sense, this is the year of the Lord’s favor! I hope this letter finds your doing splendid.
When you hear “missions” what comes to mind? Perhaps, words such as summer, overseas, developing countries, the less-fortunate, finances, testimonies, or exotic food, may come to mind.
Whenever the word “missions” reached my ears in the past, I was hardly ever quick to partner with or support the cause, whether via prayers or financially. I think I missed the big picture, especially during my college years. Well, after a decade and some more, I’d like to share the revelations I’ve been receiving the past two years and how they relate to me personally, come this summer.
From July 28 to August 5, I’ll be traveling to Thailand with my church, New Philadelphia, www.newphiladelphiachurch.com, on a missions trip. For me, this will be my first trip to Thailand and very first opportunity to go on missions. I’m doubly excited! I’ll be serving and working with the local pastors of Thailand with 14 other Spirit-led individuals who are on fire for God, to display the love of Jesus. The team will visit church plants in various towns and cities, pray for the sick, expect powerful miracles, proclaim the good news and freedom, and establish individuals in who God says they are.
The God of countless miracles and amazing stories of healings is the same God who longs for individuals to be healed and set free from bondages and addictions, to live a life victorious and to walk in fullness of hope and saving faith. It is my prayer that as we go in the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the gospel will bring healing to the land, too. My desire is also to see greater healings than those I’ve received in my own life (one powerful testimony is that my skipping heart-beat condition was healed from a prayer) and to set other individuals on the same path to total freedom, as God’s treasured possessions.
I hope you will share in my enthusiasm. There are two practical ways in which you can partner with me on my first missions trip. First, I’d like to ask you to join me in prayer. This past year has been my journey of learning that prayer is relational, effective and powerful beyond measure. As God is my inheritance, all that happens in the field are testimonies for the wider body of Christ. Daily updates will be available via facebook.com/newphilly, of our team’s progress so you can pray with pinpoint accuracy and share in the delight of daily testimonies! Second, I will be raising 600,000 KRW to cover some of the trip expenses. If you would like to support, instructions are available via this website.
Thank you for reading!
With Great Expectations,