It’s about to be the end of the year, and we are all about to enter a busy season. So, we want to take a moment and share some updates about our lives and ministry from the past month or so.
• The Power of His Living Word — I got invited to preach at a church in the city not very far from us. The pastor of this church attended our preaching seminar last year. It was good to be reunited with this pastor and serve the church by teaching the word of God. A few people from our church also came along, since it was a Sunday afternoon service.
While I was there, a man came up to me after the service to talk. He told us that he started attending church and came to Christ because of my online teachings and sermons. He even showed me some specific videos that God used to work in his heart. I rejoice and am humbled to hear such a testimony. I have never met this man before, and somehow God used our ministry to touch his heart. This is yet another time that reminds me that His Word that goes out is never in vain, and it encouraged me to continue to be faithful in my labor. Please continue to pray for us and those who hear His Word.
• Pray for Mr. Yo’s Soul — Mr. Yo walked into our church recently. He’s not a Christian, and it was the first time he had ever been to a church. After the service was over, he told me he didn’t even know that Christians sing at church (the Buddhists don’t). I found out that he’s been having a lot of questions about life (i.e., the origin of humans and the Earth). I talked to him for a while and then gave him my 200 Questions book and a few gospel tracks. He told me he had read the book and that it had already answered many of his questions. I later gave him the Bible and briefly instructed him on where and how to start reading. He has come back a couple more times and even joined our Bible study yesterday. It’s also clear that he’s been reading the Bible that I gave him. Please pray for Mr. Yo.
• Noah Gave Away a Bible — My middle son, Noah, told me that his favorite sermon recently was on spiritual warfare from Eph. 6:10-17. So, he’s been writing those passages down in his little notebook. He took the Bible to school to finish it, and while he was doing that, a friend saw him and asked where she could get a book like that. Noah then decided to bring her a Bible.
• New Member — Her name is “Yai,” and she’s been attending our church faithfully since April. After she visited our church for a few months, she expressed her desire to become a member, so we went through the membership process with her. Two Sundays ago, she officially became the newest addition to our church family. Mrs. Yai is in her early 70s, and we are happy to welcome her. She loves studying the Word of God, which is one of the many reasons she gave us at our last member meeting for wanting to join our church. Please pray for her new journey with us.
• Completed Ephesians — The other Sunday, I preached the last sermon on Ephesians 6, which completed our verse-by-verse journey through this amazing book. It’s a bittersweet experience because studying and preaching this book has been part of my life every week for so long. It took me way longer than I anticipated, partly because I had to take many breaks from the book, but we finally finished it! I do not doubt that the person who benefited the most from teaching through this book is me. Lots of things have happened in our lives, ministry and the world from the first day I started Eph. 1:1 until the day I preached Eph. 6:24 (I’m sure it’s the same in your life). For sure, lots of joy, laughter, blessings and gains. But also, lots of sadness, tears, suffering and loss.
• 400+ videos — We recently noticed that the recorded teaching resources that are available online on our YouTube Channel have reached 400+ videos. These include over 100 hours of free biblical teaching and preaching available to everyone. We were also surprised to see that the total watch time for all these videos combined (on YouTube alone) is over 2.3 million views and more than 165,000 hours (that’s over 18 years!). It’s humbling to see God use our small ministry in such a way. We hope to continue to do that and pray that God will continue to use it and bless it for His kingdom and His glory.
• Potluck Thanksgiving — This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving a little differently. The school the boys attend had a potluck and invited all the parents to attend. The school’s owner told me he woke up at 5 a.m. that day to cook a few turkeys for everyone! While it was not done from a Christian’s perspective, we were glad to celebrate Thanksgiving with all the students, parents and teachers!
• Roman and Titus — Last month, our youngest son, Roman, turned four years old. It was also a big day for my oldest son yesterday, as he entered double digits and is now 10! How thankful we are for our sons, whom God uses to bring so much life to our lives, especially during tough seasons. When you can, please pray for their salvation, especially the two big boys who are at the age where they can slowly understand the gospel.
We are thankful for all of you! We are entering a busy time of the year. Please pray as we are preparing to celebrate and proclaim Christ! Early Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!
