Dec 6, 2010
Nov 2, 2010
November Requests
Prayer Partners,
Thanks for supporting us and the ministry in Jeju. Please pray for the village of Hado-Li. This is the village where Grandma K lives. She is the 100 old retired haenyo. Several months ago Phil and Sue were able to lead her to the Lord. Before leaving Korea, we left an audio Bible with her. Please pray that she will be drawn to listening to God’s Word using this device. Please pray for her son and daughter-in-law who live next to her. Pray that their hearts will be softened so the Holy Spirit can convict them of their need for a savior. This village has a large number of women divers, haenyo. Pray that the Holy Spirit will work in their hearts revealing His Truth. Pray that He will convict them concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.(John 16:8-11)
Continuing requests--
--50 new prayer partners to commit to pray for the salvation of the Jeju people. We would still like to get at least 25 more people who will commit to faithfully praying for the Jeju people. If you know someone who would be interested in partnering with us in prayer, please let us know. We desire to have Many praying for the salvation of this group of people especially during this time where we have no personnel actively working with this group.
--1 to 2 groups willing to commit to come on a mission trip to Jeju in the summer of 2012. If you are interested in joining in with a group that comes to Jeju, let us know.
--Please pray for Phil and Helaine as they reenter language study in January. Pray that they will learn quickly and be able to share their faith effectively in the Korean language.
Thanks again,
The Hamlines
Newsletter Issue #3 September 30, 2010
Howdy Y’all, I’m writing to you this quarter from the great state of Texas. We are settled down in a mission house provided by the First Baptist Church of Seminole, which is the exact location that Helaine and I officially began our journey together over 18 years ago. During this Stateside Assignment (STAS) we’ve been blessed with so many “convenient circumstances” that I want to begin by giving glory, honor and praise to the Great Provider and coordinator of life’s circumstances, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I will defer to Helaine to provide you with the details of God’s benevolence towards our family.
I want to thank you all for your faithful prayers as Team Jeju BLUE experienced very significant changes over the last several months. As you are aware from our last newsletter, Sue Park and our family have both left the island for a period of STAS in the USA. Sue will not return to Jeju, and we will be delayed for one year of language training in Seoul beginning January 2011. Please continue to pray for Sue Park as she seeks the Lord’s will for her life and ministry. Also pray for Helaine and I as we make preparations while on STAS to transition back into our language student mode of operation.
Praise the Lord, PTL! Our summer mission team from the Global Mission Church in Maryland came to Jeju in July and together with members of the Sun In Baptist Church near Jeju City conducted a very successful Vacation Bible School program for elementary and middle school children. We witnessed eleven (11) young people give their lives to Jesus Christ and ask that you pray for Pastor Won and his congregation as they now take responsibility for growing these new Christians in their faith. This team also conducted prayer-walks of our target villages on Jeju-do. Please join us in our prayers that the Holy Spirit will draw a person-of-peace from each of these villages and that we will have the opportunity to share the gospel effectively with the haenyo of Hado-ri and the farmers of SoGil-ri and Changcheon-ri.
Our time in America is proving to be very fruitful in the recruitment of additional prayer partners and the enlistment of a mission team from Iowa to come to Jeju in 2012. During September, I enjoyed the opportunity to participate in an “On Mission Conference” in Des Moines, Iowa. This experience also involved sharing our Jeju ministry with several church groups in the area and the Lord provided us with fourteen (14) new commitments to pray for the lost of Jeju-do. A dear friend of mine from Stuart, Iowa, Pastor Robert Taylor and his wife Cindy from Heartland Baptist Church, have committed to lead a team from Metro Baptist Association in Des Moines to travel to Jeju in the summer of 2012. Please join me in lifting this couple up before the Lord as they recruit and train a mission team to minister on Jeju-do.
Finally, I want to encourage everyone to visit our “blog” at the internet address listed below for monthly prayer updates and photographs of recent ministry activity. Helaine and I also post our “reflections” on this blog site and I would love to hear your thoughts and comments in response. I’ve posted on our blog a new article “Reflections on Death” which provides my insights into the “supernatural” events surrounding the recent death of my Aunt Margaret. I hope you are blessed and challenged by the message I present. Thank you all for your faithful prayer support and I ask our Heavenly Father to provide for your every need. In His Love, your co-worker in Christ, Phil Hamline
Hamline Happenings
Our stateside time has been very busy. It has been nice getting to visit with family and friends again. The boys have enjoyed getting to know the US more. They are getting a good opportunity to do this by attending public school for the fall semester. The three younger boys have been homeschooled for the past 6 years. David was homeschooled for 4 years and then attended Faith Academy in the Philippines for the past 2 years. He is enjoying eleventh grade in the high school here in Seminole, Texas. He really likes being able to be home with family. He is enjoying the lighter homework load. Daniel is a freshman in high school and playing football. He has really enjoyed getting to be part of a team and making friends. Andrew is enjoying art classes and getting to race boys in PE. He has won several races so it has been a positive experience. He is in seventh grade. Noah is a fourth grader. He likes all the kids in his class and is becoming an ace speller. Spelling always gave him fits before so he feels good being so successful this year.
The house here is very spacious, and First Baptist has been very kind and generous in their furnishing of it and providing for us. Many of those that attend FBC also work in the schools. They have all been very helpful in guiding the boys to adjust. We are very blessed.
I want to thank you all for your faithful prayers as Team Jeju BLUE experienced very significant changes over the last several months. As you are aware from our last newsletter, Sue Park and our family have both left the island for a period of STAS in the USA. Sue will not return to Jeju, and we will be delayed for one year of language training in Seoul beginning January 2011. Please continue to pray for Sue Park as she seeks the Lord’s will for her life and ministry. Also pray for Helaine and I as we make preparations while on STAS to transition back into our language student mode of operation.
Praise the Lord, PTL! Our summer mission team from the Global Mission Church in Maryland came to Jeju in July and together with members of the Sun In Baptist Church near Jeju City conducted a very successful Vacation Bible School program for elementary and middle school children. We witnessed eleven (11) young people give their lives to Jesus Christ and ask that you pray for Pastor Won and his congregation as they now take responsibility for growing these new Christians in their faith. This team also conducted prayer-walks of our target villages on Jeju-do. Please join us in our prayers that the Holy Spirit will draw a person-of-peace from each of these villages and that we will have the opportunity to share the gospel effectively with the haenyo of Hado-ri and the farmers of SoGil-ri and Changcheon-ri.
Our time in America is proving to be very fruitful in the recruitment of additional prayer partners and the enlistment of a mission team from Iowa to come to Jeju in 2012. During September, I enjoyed the opportunity to participate in an “On Mission Conference” in Des Moines, Iowa. This experience also involved sharing our Jeju ministry with several church groups in the area and the Lord provided us with fourteen (14) new commitments to pray for the lost of Jeju-do. A dear friend of mine from Stuart, Iowa, Pastor Robert Taylor and his wife Cindy from Heartland Baptist Church, have committed to lead a team from Metro Baptist Association in Des Moines to travel to Jeju in the summer of 2012. Please join me in lifting this couple up before the Lord as they recruit and train a mission team to minister on Jeju-do.
Finally, I want to encourage everyone to visit our “blog” at the internet address listed below for monthly prayer updates and photographs of recent ministry activity. Helaine and I also post our “reflections” on this blog site and I would love to hear your thoughts and comments in response. I’ve posted on our blog a new article “Reflections on Death” which provides my insights into the “supernatural” events surrounding the recent death of my Aunt Margaret. I hope you are blessed and challenged by the message I present. Thank you all for your faithful prayer support and I ask our Heavenly Father to provide for your every need. In His Love, your co-worker in Christ, Phil Hamline
Hamline Happenings
Our stateside time has been very busy. It has been nice getting to visit with family and friends again. The boys have enjoyed getting to know the US more. They are getting a good opportunity to do this by attending public school for the fall semester. The three younger boys have been homeschooled for the past 6 years. David was homeschooled for 4 years and then attended Faith Academy in the Philippines for the past 2 years. He is enjoying eleventh grade in the high school here in Seminole, Texas. He really likes being able to be home with family. He is enjoying the lighter homework load. Daniel is a freshman in high school and playing football. He has really enjoyed getting to be part of a team and making friends. Andrew is enjoying art classes and getting to race boys in PE. He has won several races so it has been a positive experience. He is in seventh grade. Noah is a fourth grader. He likes all the kids in his class and is becoming an ace speller. Spelling always gave him fits before so he feels good being so successful this year.
The house here is very spacious, and First Baptist has been very kind and generous in their furnishing of it and providing for us. Many of those that attend FBC also work in the schools. They have all been very helpful in guiding the boys to adjust. We are very blessed.
Oct 3, 2010
Reflections on Death
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8
I guess I’m getting old. Most of the close relatives that I’ve loved in my life are gone. My Dad died over 17 years ago and he was preceded by an older brother now dead almost 25 years. Most of my parents’ siblings have passed on and my mother has begun to wonder if she will be the last one to say goodbye to her generation (she’s a mere 85 years young). The “Circle of Life” philosophy is depressing if you ask me. I much prefer the “Eternal Life” theology of God’s Word.
Last month, August 2010, my family and I began our journey home to the USA for about 5 months of what we call Stateside Assignment (STAS). We left Seoul, Korea on Monday, 9 Aug, and stopped over in Vancouver, BC for a 4-day visit with our friends the Thompsons. On Friday, 13 Aug, we completed our journey to the USA when we arrived in my hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. That evening we had dinner with my immediate family and I was made aware that my Aunt Margaret was not expected to live much longer. The next day, Saturday, 14 Aug, my family and I went to the hospice which was providing final care for Aunt Margaret in order to pay our respects to the family and say goodbye. Our travel plan called for only six days in Kansas City because we needed to get the boys to Texas for the beginning of their public school experience.
Nancy and Judy, my cousins, Aunt Margaret’s only children were present along with many members of their respective immediate families. Aunt Margaret had been placed in the hospice over four weeks prior to my visit. Soon after her arrival, she had slipped into a coma which they didn’t expect her to awake from prior to death. Her family was honoring her wish that no extreme measure be carried out to sustain her life and this included even intravenous feeding. Still the caregivers were saying that her vital functions remained stable and relatively strong after almost a month without sustenance. The girls had been maintaining a constant presence and many others visited regularly in order to provide comfort. The wear and tear on each person’s face made it evident that the four weeks of waiting was taking a toll and the emotions were on edge. I decided that while my responsibility as a nephew/cousin had been met, it was apparent that the family needed spiritual support as well. I had previous pastoral experience in ministering to families at the time of a loved one’s death and asked if we could read some Scripture and have a time of prayer. Reminding them all of God’s presence and providence eased their suffering. I had each of my four sons come forward and say goodbye to their great-aunt Margaret then promised that if time allowed on Sunday I would try to stop by once more before we left for Texas. It was a good visit and ministry opportunity which also provided a chance to teach my boys about facing death.
I wish this was the end of the story because the rest is an uncomfortable exercise in transparency. My purpose in sharing these intimate details is to trust that the Holy Spirit will use my experience to teach you something about how we as born-again believers should be prepared to cross death’s doorway into our eternal future with Jesus Christ. I don’t have many conclusions to make only reflections for thought.
Sunday, Aug 15, will always be a special day in my spiritual walk with the Lord. It was planned to be a day of celebration with my immediate family as we scheduled a “covered dish dinner” following the morning worship services at my nephew’s church in Lee’s Summit, MO.; but God had much bigger and better plans. After a late Saturday night visiting with my family and an early Sunday morning of worship, followed by an afternoon of fellowship, I was ready for a nap. I remembered my promise made to Judy and Nancy but thought that the previous day’s ministry would be hard to top and decided to call it a day. As we settled in for the evening at my nephew’s, my mother and sister decided it was time to go as they had plans to stop by the hospice on their way back to Independence where my sister and mom live.
The nagging ache of conviction kept me from my nap. I knew my 85 year old mother, suffering from chronic arthritis and bursitis, was much more in need of rest than me, yet motivated by love she made the sacrifice to once again go out of her way to visit the sick much as Jesus had demonstrated time and time again. I’m slow but not stupid! I gathered my family together and off we went to visit a comatose aunt and her family that nobody in the car except for me knew anything about.
Sunday afternoon in the hospice was busy and crowded with staff and visiting family members. Most of the doors along the corridor were open in order to contain the standing room only audiences of grieving loved ones gathered to say final farewells. Aunt Margaret’s was no exception. On Sunday, even the kids came out and her room was full of people I didn’t even recognize. In my heart, I secretly rejoiced that my quick hello and goodbye would meet with little resistance. I left my family in the hallway and took the plunge into a swirling eddy of tears and grief. Nancy gave me an update of no significant change and as far as I could see, Aunt Margaret’s breathing sounded normal and she appeared peacefully asleep. It also became readily apparent that she was the only one in the room at peace. I’m uncomfortable when women cry. Several men in the room on the verge of tears was more than I could handle so I decided to change the environment. I ask permission from no one in particular if we could have a time of worship. This is my comfort zone, and besides it was Sunday and I figured most of those present, especially Nancy and Judy, had not had the chance to attend worship today.
Nancy is the worship leader at the small Baptist Church she attends, so I ask her if she would lead us in singing the old standard hymn, “When We All Get to Heaven.” I was expecting that Nancy and I would basically sing a subdued and shaky duet. Instead, she led a magnificent choir in a heavenly rendition that filled the entire wing of the hospice to everyone’s delight. Now that I had the undivided attention of an audience that included staff and guests from other rooms it occurred to me that I was totally unprepared as to what message God wanted shared. In a moment of surrender mixed together with trembling fear, I was guided by the Holy Spirit to the Scripture verses from 2 Timothy listed above. As I read these inspired words and shared my thoughts on a life well lived and pleasing to God, I challenged everyone that Christians should not only live well but we should die well also.
It was my intent to close our worship with a moment of prayer at Aunt Margaret’s bedside. As I stood next to her and laid my hand upon her head it is my testimony to you all that the prayer I prayed came not from me but literally from He who indwells me, the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. I’ve prayed over dying people several times in my pastoral ministry and I knew what I wanted to say. It was my desire to thank Aunt Margaret for her positive Christian lifestyle witness and to simply say that we all looked forward to the day when we would join her and our loved ones that had gone before. Instead I spoke in a clear and strong voice the following: “Aunt Margaret let go and go home!”
My friends, I witness to you that my first emotion was fear. I was afraid of the negative response that I expected from my cousins as I heard these words come out of my mouth. As I lifted up my head and made eye contact with them, I was sorry for what I had prayed. Never before in my life had I thought of praying such a prayer. Literally embarrassed, I turned and started mumbling my goodbye as I started to leave the room. My mother was sitting next to Aunt Margaret’s head softly crying when she broke the uncomfortable silence that had come over the room. She said to Nancy and Judy that Aunt Margaret had stopped breathing. I stopped in my tracks and pivoted to see Nancy and a nurse rush over to check her vital signs. The nurse said Aunt Margaret had no pulse and we all stared in silence at the body lying on the bed waiting for the final words of closure.
Secretly, I prayed that her heart would start beating again. My mother broke the silence by looking at me and stating that Aunt Margaret had waited for permission to go home. I thought to myself this was nonsense and just hoped that no one else was listening. Several minutes passed and finally the nurse officially pronounced that Aunt Margaret was gone. The dam burst and everyone in the room broke into a crescendo of tears mixed together with praise as the family of God joined in Spirit to say goodbye to a dearly loved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and Aunt.
Three days later, on Wednesday, 18 Aug, at Nancy and Judy’s request I officiated at Aunt Margaret’s funeral service. The message I gave was a personal testimony of God’s Grace to let me and my family be a part of the learning process that Aunt Margaret’s passing had become for everyone. I’m still not sure of what all God wanted me to learn from this experience. Also, I’m certain that people got a variety of lessons especially tailored for their circumstances from the same event. However, I feel confident to say at least this much, our Christian testimony is sealed as much by the way we die as by the way we live!
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21
I guess I’m getting old. Most of the close relatives that I’ve loved in my life are gone. My Dad died over 17 years ago and he was preceded by an older brother now dead almost 25 years. Most of my parents’ siblings have passed on and my mother has begun to wonder if she will be the last one to say goodbye to her generation (she’s a mere 85 years young). The “Circle of Life” philosophy is depressing if you ask me. I much prefer the “Eternal Life” theology of God’s Word.
Last month, August 2010, my family and I began our journey home to the USA for about 5 months of what we call Stateside Assignment (STAS). We left Seoul, Korea on Monday, 9 Aug, and stopped over in Vancouver, BC for a 4-day visit with our friends the Thompsons. On Friday, 13 Aug, we completed our journey to the USA when we arrived in my hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. That evening we had dinner with my immediate family and I was made aware that my Aunt Margaret was not expected to live much longer. The next day, Saturday, 14 Aug, my family and I went to the hospice which was providing final care for Aunt Margaret in order to pay our respects to the family and say goodbye. Our travel plan called for only six days in Kansas City because we needed to get the boys to Texas for the beginning of their public school experience.
Nancy and Judy, my cousins, Aunt Margaret’s only children were present along with many members of their respective immediate families. Aunt Margaret had been placed in the hospice over four weeks prior to my visit. Soon after her arrival, she had slipped into a coma which they didn’t expect her to awake from prior to death. Her family was honoring her wish that no extreme measure be carried out to sustain her life and this included even intravenous feeding. Still the caregivers were saying that her vital functions remained stable and relatively strong after almost a month without sustenance. The girls had been maintaining a constant presence and many others visited regularly in order to provide comfort. The wear and tear on each person’s face made it evident that the four weeks of waiting was taking a toll and the emotions were on edge. I decided that while my responsibility as a nephew/cousin had been met, it was apparent that the family needed spiritual support as well. I had previous pastoral experience in ministering to families at the time of a loved one’s death and asked if we could read some Scripture and have a time of prayer. Reminding them all of God’s presence and providence eased their suffering. I had each of my four sons come forward and say goodbye to their great-aunt Margaret then promised that if time allowed on Sunday I would try to stop by once more before we left for Texas. It was a good visit and ministry opportunity which also provided a chance to teach my boys about facing death.
I wish this was the end of the story because the rest is an uncomfortable exercise in transparency. My purpose in sharing these intimate details is to trust that the Holy Spirit will use my experience to teach you something about how we as born-again believers should be prepared to cross death’s doorway into our eternal future with Jesus Christ. I don’t have many conclusions to make only reflections for thought.
Sunday, Aug 15, will always be a special day in my spiritual walk with the Lord. It was planned to be a day of celebration with my immediate family as we scheduled a “covered dish dinner” following the morning worship services at my nephew’s church in Lee’s Summit, MO.; but God had much bigger and better plans. After a late Saturday night visiting with my family and an early Sunday morning of worship, followed by an afternoon of fellowship, I was ready for a nap. I remembered my promise made to Judy and Nancy but thought that the previous day’s ministry would be hard to top and decided to call it a day. As we settled in for the evening at my nephew’s, my mother and sister decided it was time to go as they had plans to stop by the hospice on their way back to Independence where my sister and mom live.
The nagging ache of conviction kept me from my nap. I knew my 85 year old mother, suffering from chronic arthritis and bursitis, was much more in need of rest than me, yet motivated by love she made the sacrifice to once again go out of her way to visit the sick much as Jesus had demonstrated time and time again. I’m slow but not stupid! I gathered my family together and off we went to visit a comatose aunt and her family that nobody in the car except for me knew anything about.
Sunday afternoon in the hospice was busy and crowded with staff and visiting family members. Most of the doors along the corridor were open in order to contain the standing room only audiences of grieving loved ones gathered to say final farewells. Aunt Margaret’s was no exception. On Sunday, even the kids came out and her room was full of people I didn’t even recognize. In my heart, I secretly rejoiced that my quick hello and goodbye would meet with little resistance. I left my family in the hallway and took the plunge into a swirling eddy of tears and grief. Nancy gave me an update of no significant change and as far as I could see, Aunt Margaret’s breathing sounded normal and she appeared peacefully asleep. It also became readily apparent that she was the only one in the room at peace. I’m uncomfortable when women cry. Several men in the room on the verge of tears was more than I could handle so I decided to change the environment. I ask permission from no one in particular if we could have a time of worship. This is my comfort zone, and besides it was Sunday and I figured most of those present, especially Nancy and Judy, had not had the chance to attend worship today.
Nancy is the worship leader at the small Baptist Church she attends, so I ask her if she would lead us in singing the old standard hymn, “When We All Get to Heaven.” I was expecting that Nancy and I would basically sing a subdued and shaky duet. Instead, she led a magnificent choir in a heavenly rendition that filled the entire wing of the hospice to everyone’s delight. Now that I had the undivided attention of an audience that included staff and guests from other rooms it occurred to me that I was totally unprepared as to what message God wanted shared. In a moment of surrender mixed together with trembling fear, I was guided by the Holy Spirit to the Scripture verses from 2 Timothy listed above. As I read these inspired words and shared my thoughts on a life well lived and pleasing to God, I challenged everyone that Christians should not only live well but we should die well also.
It was my intent to close our worship with a moment of prayer at Aunt Margaret’s bedside. As I stood next to her and laid my hand upon her head it is my testimony to you all that the prayer I prayed came not from me but literally from He who indwells me, the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. I’ve prayed over dying people several times in my pastoral ministry and I knew what I wanted to say. It was my desire to thank Aunt Margaret for her positive Christian lifestyle witness and to simply say that we all looked forward to the day when we would join her and our loved ones that had gone before. Instead I spoke in a clear and strong voice the following: “Aunt Margaret let go and go home!”
My friends, I witness to you that my first emotion was fear. I was afraid of the negative response that I expected from my cousins as I heard these words come out of my mouth. As I lifted up my head and made eye contact with them, I was sorry for what I had prayed. Never before in my life had I thought of praying such a prayer. Literally embarrassed, I turned and started mumbling my goodbye as I started to leave the room. My mother was sitting next to Aunt Margaret’s head softly crying when she broke the uncomfortable silence that had come over the room. She said to Nancy and Judy that Aunt Margaret had stopped breathing. I stopped in my tracks and pivoted to see Nancy and a nurse rush over to check her vital signs. The nurse said Aunt Margaret had no pulse and we all stared in silence at the body lying on the bed waiting for the final words of closure.
Secretly, I prayed that her heart would start beating again. My mother broke the silence by looking at me and stating that Aunt Margaret had waited for permission to go home. I thought to myself this was nonsense and just hoped that no one else was listening. Several minutes passed and finally the nurse officially pronounced that Aunt Margaret was gone. The dam burst and everyone in the room broke into a crescendo of tears mixed together with praise as the family of God joined in Spirit to say goodbye to a dearly loved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and Aunt.
Three days later, on Wednesday, 18 Aug, at Nancy and Judy’s request I officiated at Aunt Margaret’s funeral service. The message I gave was a personal testimony of God’s Grace to let me and my family be a part of the learning process that Aunt Margaret’s passing had become for everyone. I’m still not sure of what all God wanted me to learn from this experience. Also, I’m certain that people got a variety of lessons especially tailored for their circumstances from the same event. However, I feel confident to say at least this much, our Christian testimony is sealed as much by the way we die as by the way we live!
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21
Aug 1, 2010
August Prayer Requests
1. A volunteer team from the US is here doing a VBS. We have had 7 kids pray to receive Christ so far. These are elementary through college aged kids attending. We have two more days of VBS on Monday and Tuesday. We will have some of the same kids and some new kids too. Our volunteer team is doing a great job interacting with the kids and witnessing as well. Praise! Please pray that SunIn church will be able to disciple these new believers. Please pray that these new believers will grow in their faith, knowledge and obedience to the Lord.
2. Please pray for the villages of Hado-Li, SoGil-Li, and ChangCheon-Li. At the first of July we had a team from Daehyung church in Taejon come to the island for prayerwalking. We visited all three villages, praying and looking for opportunities to witness and hand out tracts. We pray for the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the villagers. Pray that they will be convicted of their sin and need of a Savior.
3. Please pray for Grandma K in Hado-Li. We visited her on our prayerwalking trip at the first of July. We gave her an audio Bible that we had received from Faith Comes by Hearing. We pray that it will be a blessing to her. We pray it will be a source of peace and comfort as she listens to His Word and a witness to her family as well. We have pictures from our prayerwalking trip on our blog.
Thank you for keeping the people of Jeju in your hearts and prayers!
Jul 21, 2010
Jul 1, 2010
Helaine's insights from her Bible study--2nd Quarter
I finished my Bible study On Mission With God this past quarter. The study’s focus was to encourage Christians to go on missions. It also really challenged a lot of today’s way of thinking. Although I didn’t need more challenge regarding being willing to go where God leads me, I do need challenge in how I go about serving God. Throughout the study I was challenged to look carefully at my motives, attitudes and expectations.
Several points in the study really stuck out to me. Here are a few. One says that God sends you to the place where He can best work through you to accomplish His mission. It goes on to say that no where the Lord calls us to go can compare to Christ’s mission to come to earth to provide the way of salvation. This really helps me get my priorities and attitude straight.
It always amazes me how the Lord teaches us what we need when we need it. This portion of the Bible study was very timely and what I needed to hear the past few months. “Modern Christians often forget that suffering accompanies service. Perhaps you have answered God’s invitation to go on mission with Him, only to be met by discouragement and difficulties along the way. Be like Paul as you determine to endure and even embrace unfolding events.”
The lessons I have learned through this study are very applicable to me right now as we enter a time of change and transition. I am challenged to be faithful when it would be very easy to be overwhelmingly discouraged. I love how I can be feeling very discouraged and overwhelmed. Then I start reading and studying His Word, and all of the sudden His Holy Spirit comes and illuminates His Word and brings encouragement to my soul.
I just started a new Bible study. It is by Beth Moore, Believing God. Already, it is helping me to focus and choose to believe, trust and have faith.
Several points in the study really stuck out to me. Here are a few. One says that God sends you to the place where He can best work through you to accomplish His mission. It goes on to say that no where the Lord calls us to go can compare to Christ’s mission to come to earth to provide the way of salvation. This really helps me get my priorities and attitude straight.
It always amazes me how the Lord teaches us what we need when we need it. This portion of the Bible study was very timely and what I needed to hear the past few months. “Modern Christians often forget that suffering accompanies service. Perhaps you have answered God’s invitation to go on mission with Him, only to be met by discouragement and difficulties along the way. Be like Paul as you determine to endure and even embrace unfolding events.”
The lessons I have learned through this study are very applicable to me right now as we enter a time of change and transition. I am challenged to be faithful when it would be very easy to be overwhelmingly discouraged. I love how I can be feeling very discouraged and overwhelmed. Then I start reading and studying His Word, and all of the sudden His Holy Spirit comes and illuminates His Word and brings encouragement to my soul.
I just started a new Bible study. It is by Beth Moore, Believing God. Already, it is helping me to focus and choose to believe, trust and have faith.
Jun 30, 2010
Requests for July 2010
Prayer Partners,
Thank you so much for your faithful prayers for us and the ministry here in Jeju, South Korea.
Requests
1. Please pray for the people that live in SoGilRi; a small farming village with no Christian witness. We have conducted several prayer-walks in this village and are searching for a person-of-peace to open the doors of opportunity for sharing the gospel message with these shamanistic senior citizens. A team from Daehyung Baptist church are coming to minister next week. They will be here for two days and will do prayer walking and witnessing in this village as well as some others. Please pray for good opportunities to meet villagers and witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
2. We will be hosting a summer mission team from the USA at the end of July. Sue Park is taking the lead in coordinating this effort to sponsor a Vacation Bible School at Sun In Baptist Church near Jeju City. Please join us in praying for a harvest of young people from a nearby apartment complex as we seek to share the good news of Jesus Christ with these children and their parents.
3. Please pray for our family as well as Sue Park as we all leave the island to go on our stateside times in August. We will all be going through a time of transition when we finish our stateside time. Please pray that the Lord will direct our paths, give us endurance, and give us the ability to do the jobs we have been given. Phil and Helaine will be entering full-time language school for one year when they return to Korea in January 2011. Please pray that they will grasp the Korean language and will be able to effectively communicate the Gospel.
Again, thank you for your support of the work in Jeju.
The Hamlines
Thank you so much for your faithful prayers for us and the ministry here in Jeju, South Korea.
Requests
1. Please pray for the people that live in SoGilRi; a small farming village with no Christian witness. We have conducted several prayer-walks in this village and are searching for a person-of-peace to open the doors of opportunity for sharing the gospel message with these shamanistic senior citizens. A team from Daehyung Baptist church are coming to minister next week. They will be here for two days and will do prayer walking and witnessing in this village as well as some others. Please pray for good opportunities to meet villagers and witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
2. We will be hosting a summer mission team from the USA at the end of July. Sue Park is taking the lead in coordinating this effort to sponsor a Vacation Bible School at Sun In Baptist Church near Jeju City. Please join us in praying for a harvest of young people from a nearby apartment complex as we seek to share the good news of Jesus Christ with these children and their parents.
3. Please pray for our family as well as Sue Park as we all leave the island to go on our stateside times in August. We will all be going through a time of transition when we finish our stateside time. Please pray that the Lord will direct our paths, give us endurance, and give us the ability to do the jobs we have been given. Phil and Helaine will be entering full-time language school for one year when they return to Korea in January 2011. Please pray that they will grasp the Korean language and will be able to effectively communicate the Gospel.
Again, thank you for your support of the work in Jeju.
The Hamlines
Newsletter Issue #2 June 30, 2010
Team Jeju BLUE
Believing, Loving, Understanding, Equipping
June 30, 2010 Issue #2
My dearest friends and prayer partners, I ask the Father for his continued blessings upon you and your families. We hope that you are experiencing good health and happiness as well as success in all efforts to extend the Kingdom of Heaven. Thank you very much for all the faithful prayer support offered on behalf of our ministry to the Jeju people. We depend on it as much as the air we breathe!
I have so much to be thankful for it seems a shame to spend this time sharing with you about a situation that reflects failure and pain. However, I trust you with good news and bad. My partner, Sue Park, and I have reached an impasse in our relationship which requires a course correction. In August of this year we will both leave Jeju for what we call Stateside Assignment (STAS). Sue will go on to serve the Lord in some other capacity with our sending organization but will not be returning to Jeju Island. The Hamlines will spend about five (5) months in the USA and return to Korea in January 2011. With sorrow and some degree of shame I admit a personal failure to properly lead the Jeju Team to victory in Jesus Christ.
My personal shortcoming is also evident in my very limited grasp of the Korean language. My supervisor has very graciously agreed to relocate our family to Seoul upon return from STAS in order to enroll in a formal language training program. I have been given one (1) additional year of full-time study to acquire an adequate level of proficiency in Korean to competently carry out my responsibilities as a missionary. With your prayers, God’s Grace and my hard work, I hope to return in January 2012 better equipped to facilitate a church planting movement among the blue-collar workers of Jeju Island. Please pray for Sue Park and my family as we undergo these major changes in our lives and ministries.
On a more positive note, we will be hosting a summer mission team from the USA in July. Sue Park is taking the lead in coordinating this effort to sponsor a Vacation Bible School at Sun In (선인) Baptist Church near Jeju City. Please join us in praying for a harvest of young people from a nearby apartment complex as we seek to share the good news of Jesus Christ with these children and their parents. I would also ask you to pray for the people that live in SoGilRi (소길리) a small farming community with no Christian witness. We have conducted several prayer-walks in this village and are searching for a person-of-peace to open the doors of opportunity for sharing the gospel message with these shamanistic senior citizens.
Finally, I ask you to continue interceding for the lost of Jeju Island. I’m claiming the promise of God found in Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.” Our Father is Sovereign, and even in our personal failures He insists on receiving unto Himself great Glory. I don’t know how, when, or where but I’m certain that God’s plan is for many of the people of Jeju to come to him in faith through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I still want to participate with Him in this plan and I encourage you my brothers and sisters in Christ to keep the faith and remain firm in your prayer advocacy for these lost souls of Jeju Island.
Hamline Happenings
The end of the school year has finally arrived. David is now home with us. He did much better this second semester. Please pray that he will learn some positive lessons from his experiences of this past school year. Daniel just finished testing for his black belt in Taekwondo. He is really excited about this accomplishment. Andrew is going through a big growth spurt and is becoming a teenager. He doesn’t turn 13 until November, but he is already stretching his wings. Noah just celebrated his 10th birthday. He has really matured this past school year, and he is taking a bigger interest in his schoolwork. YEAH! This coming school year, we will be in America for our stateside time. The boys will be in public school for the fall semester. They are really excited about this new experience but are also a little nervous. The younger three have been homeschooled for the past 6 school years so this will be a big change. There will be lots of opportunities to be involved in many activities. Please pray that they will not be too overwhelmed by all the new things they will experience, and that they will grow socially as well as spiritually during this time of change.
Believing, Loving, Understanding, Equipping
June 30, 2010 Issue #2
My dearest friends and prayer partners, I ask the Father for his continued blessings upon you and your families. We hope that you are experiencing good health and happiness as well as success in all efforts to extend the Kingdom of Heaven. Thank you very much for all the faithful prayer support offered on behalf of our ministry to the Jeju people. We depend on it as much as the air we breathe!
I have so much to be thankful for it seems a shame to spend this time sharing with you about a situation that reflects failure and pain. However, I trust you with good news and bad. My partner, Sue Park, and I have reached an impasse in our relationship which requires a course correction. In August of this year we will both leave Jeju for what we call Stateside Assignment (STAS). Sue will go on to serve the Lord in some other capacity with our sending organization but will not be returning to Jeju Island. The Hamlines will spend about five (5) months in the USA and return to Korea in January 2011. With sorrow and some degree of shame I admit a personal failure to properly lead the Jeju Team to victory in Jesus Christ.
My personal shortcoming is also evident in my very limited grasp of the Korean language. My supervisor has very graciously agreed to relocate our family to Seoul upon return from STAS in order to enroll in a formal language training program. I have been given one (1) additional year of full-time study to acquire an adequate level of proficiency in Korean to competently carry out my responsibilities as a missionary. With your prayers, God’s Grace and my hard work, I hope to return in January 2012 better equipped to facilitate a church planting movement among the blue-collar workers of Jeju Island. Please pray for Sue Park and my family as we undergo these major changes in our lives and ministries.
On a more positive note, we will be hosting a summer mission team from the USA in July. Sue Park is taking the lead in coordinating this effort to sponsor a Vacation Bible School at Sun In (선인) Baptist Church near Jeju City. Please join us in praying for a harvest of young people from a nearby apartment complex as we seek to share the good news of Jesus Christ with these children and their parents. I would also ask you to pray for the people that live in SoGilRi (소길리) a small farming community with no Christian witness. We have conducted several prayer-walks in this village and are searching for a person-of-peace to open the doors of opportunity for sharing the gospel message with these shamanistic senior citizens.
Finally, I ask you to continue interceding for the lost of Jeju Island. I’m claiming the promise of God found in Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.” Our Father is Sovereign, and even in our personal failures He insists on receiving unto Himself great Glory. I don’t know how, when, or where but I’m certain that God’s plan is for many of the people of Jeju to come to him in faith through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I still want to participate with Him in this plan and I encourage you my brothers and sisters in Christ to keep the faith and remain firm in your prayer advocacy for these lost souls of Jeju Island.
Hamline Happenings
The end of the school year has finally arrived. David is now home with us. He did much better this second semester. Please pray that he will learn some positive lessons from his experiences of this past school year. Daniel just finished testing for his black belt in Taekwondo. He is really excited about this accomplishment. Andrew is going through a big growth spurt and is becoming a teenager. He doesn’t turn 13 until November, but he is already stretching his wings. Noah just celebrated his 10th birthday. He has really matured this past school year, and he is taking a bigger interest in his schoolwork. YEAH! This coming school year, we will be in America for our stateside time. The boys will be in public school for the fall semester. They are really excited about this new experience but are also a little nervous. The younger three have been homeschooled for the past 6 school years so this will be a big change. There will be lots of opportunities to be involved in many activities. Please pray that they will not be too overwhelmed by all the new things they will experience, and that they will grow socially as well as spiritually during this time of change.
May 29, 2010
Prayer Partners,
Thanks so much for keeping us and the Jeju ministry in your prayers. The children's English group in Seogwipo has finished up. The Solomon center is restructuring so it doesn't need this class anymore. We were able to share about discipleship with this group of young people and pray that their lives will be touched by the lessons they learned. We have lots of changes coming soon. We will go on our stateside assignment and be away from the ministry and Jeju for a while. Please pray for the people and groups we have been working with during this time where we will be away.
Jeju Team’s Top Three Priority Prayer Requests for June 2010
1. Please pray for the summer mission team that is coming from the Global Mission Church in Silver Spring, Maryland. A team of twelve (12) Korean-American volunteers will come to Jeju-do in July to help minister the gospel of God’s love to the blue-collar workers in the area of Doryun Dong in Jeju City. Pray that their travel will be safe and their ministry effective in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ through a Vacation Bible School program.
2. Please continue to pray for “grandma” K from Hado-ri as this new born again believer grows in her faith and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ask the Father to open the hearts and minds of her family and friends to the saving grace that “grandma” received. Pray that “grandma” will be bold and strong in her new faith as she learns to share what God has done for her and wants to do for the 500+ haenyo diving women that live and work in Hado-ri.
3. Please continue to pray for the senior tangerine farmers of Changcheon-ri and begin to pray for the farmers of Sogil-ri. This new village is another area of Jeju-do that has no Christian witness and we ask you to pray that God will call out a person of peace to open the door for the gospel message. Most villagers are senior citizens that cling to traditional island customs and beliefs so ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of Jesus to these predominantly Shamanistic farmers.
Thanks for supporting the work going on in Jeju!
Phil and Helaine Hamline
Thanks so much for keeping us and the Jeju ministry in your prayers. The children's English group in Seogwipo has finished up. The Solomon center is restructuring so it doesn't need this class anymore. We were able to share about discipleship with this group of young people and pray that their lives will be touched by the lessons they learned. We have lots of changes coming soon. We will go on our stateside assignment and be away from the ministry and Jeju for a while. Please pray for the people and groups we have been working with during this time where we will be away.
Jeju Team’s Top Three Priority Prayer Requests for June 2010
1. Please pray for the summer mission team that is coming from the Global Mission Church in Silver Spring, Maryland. A team of twelve (12) Korean-American volunteers will come to Jeju-do in July to help minister the gospel of God’s love to the blue-collar workers in the area of Doryun Dong in Jeju City. Pray that their travel will be safe and their ministry effective in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ through a Vacation Bible School program.
2. Please continue to pray for “grandma” K from Hado-ri as this new born again believer grows in her faith and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ask the Father to open the hearts and minds of her family and friends to the saving grace that “grandma” received. Pray that “grandma” will be bold and strong in her new faith as she learns to share what God has done for her and wants to do for the 500+ haenyo diving women that live and work in Hado-ri.
3. Please continue to pray for the senior tangerine farmers of Changcheon-ri and begin to pray for the farmers of Sogil-ri. This new village is another area of Jeju-do that has no Christian witness and we ask you to pray that God will call out a person of peace to open the door for the gospel message. Most villagers are senior citizens that cling to traditional island customs and beliefs so ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of Jesus to these predominantly Shamanistic farmers.
Thanks for supporting the work going on in Jeju!
Phil and Helaine Hamline
May 1, 2010
May Prayer Requests
Jeju Team’s Top Three Priority Prayer Requests for May 2010
1. Please pray for “grandma” K from Hado-ri. This 100 year old retired haenyo thankfully received the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. We join the angels in heaven as they rejoice in the grace and mercy of our heavenly Father towards this “thief on a cross” sinner that has been forgiven. Pray that she will spend the remaining portion of her life giving glory to God and growing in her faith and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Please pray for Mrs. Y, the daughter-in-law of “grandma” K in Hado-ri. She is an active haenyo who provides care for her live-in mother-in-law. We give praise to God that she has been very open and responsive to the attention that we provide to “grandma” K. Pray that the Holy Spirit will soften her heart and provide an opportunity to share the gospel. Ask the Father to use this family as a person-of-peace to open the door into Hado-ri’s 500+ member haenyo association.
3. Please continue to pray for the senior tangerine farmers of Changcheon-ri and the elementary students that attend our English Bible study class at Seogwipo’s King Solomon Mission Center. Pray that the Holy Spirit will provide insight and opportunity to develop these relationships and more directly witness the power of God’s saving grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Mar 31, 2010
Desire the Greater Gifts
Week of Prayer and Fasting
JANUARY 2010
The past two years, during the month of January, I have practiced the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting. Spending one week in fervent prayer and fasting on only liquids, I seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit in developing our mission strategy for the coming year. This year the week from Sunday 10 January through Saturday 16 January proved to be most fruitful for me in both the spiritual and physical realms. Simply, the physical stress of fasting on liquids alone for a week proved to be much easier the second time around. Much of the suspense was gone as to how my body would respond. Spiritually, I was blessed with a profound answer to a question that has been nagging at my soul for several years. My purpose in writing this article is to provide readers with similar questions the encouragement to remain faithful in asking the Lord for answers to life’s most difficult questions. Our weak flesh nature, especially customized by the western influence of immediate gratification, is strongly tempted to give up quickly if an answer isn’t provided in a way and in a short period of time that satisfies our desire. This is not conducive to receiving answers from God because the consistent teaching of Scripture is that patience is a virtue and waiting upon the Lord is a command not a recommendation. Some wise person in my past taught me that if you ask the wrong question you will always get the wrong answer. Another application of this same principle is that if you ask the right question in the wrong way you are most likely going to misinterpret God’s response.
During the time I was undergoing training to become a strategy coordinator with our company we studied the Book of Acts as a textbook for facilitating a Church Planting Movement (CPM). It was a particular passage of this Scripture that formed the basis for my CPM strategy to reach the lost blue-collar workers of Jeju Island. However, I have always battled an issue that derives from this same Scripture and that created the burning questions which became the focus of my January 2010 “Week of Prayer and Fasting.” As a traditional, conservative Southern Baptist, I have been raised to believe in “cessation theology” when it comes to the “sign gifts.” My roots tell me that signs and wonders are a manifestation of the Holy Spirit primarily limited to the 1st Century’s “Apostolic Age” which concluded with the death of John, the last of Jesus’ original 12 anointed apostles. However, many of my missionary colleagues, based on personal experience and alternative interpretations of Scripture, strongly disagree with “cessation theology.”
The passage of Scripture to which I’ve been referring is Chapter Two of the Book of Acts. The questions that stirred my heart to spend a week in prayer and fasting for answers was: Are the Spiritual Gifts which we’ve designated as the “sign gifts” present and/or prevalent in the body of Christ today? If the answer is yes: What, if any, role does the believer have in the acquisition and use of these special Spiritual Gifts?
To begin our discussion of these questions and the answers I received from the Holy Spirit let’s look at Acts Chapter 2 in overview. We see first God’s blessing of Pentecost in verses 1-13, this is followed by Peter’s bold message to the crowd in Jerusalem in verses 14-40, and then finally, in verses 41-47 we see the positive results of power-filled proclamation. My strategy to reach the lost natives of Jeju-do through a CPM is derived specifically from Acts 2:41-43, which reads: “So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers. Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles.” I firmly believe that my people group will only be reached for Christ through the presence of the Holy Spirit demonstrated by powerful preaching of the gospel message of Jesus Christ, accompanied by signs and wonders.
Please bear with me for a moment as I digress to a subject that will prove useful to help you understand the illustration I use to discuss the insight I was provided by God’s Spirit during my week of prayer and fasting. In my past life as a Baptist Church Pastor I used several Bible study programs produced by LifeWay Christian Resources, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), to conduct discipleship training for my congregation. Three of these were of particular significance: Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby; The Mind of Christ by T.W. Hunt; and Life in the Spirit by Robertson McQuilkin. I found these in-depth studies to be very useful in presenting a well-rounded presentation of the triune Godhead of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Collectively, I feel these three study programs offer the most practical theological discipleship training available outside of a full three-year or more seminary education. Unfortunately, most churches only offered the highly popular Experiencing God, while a few found time to study The Mind of Christ, but very few are even aware of the existence of Life in the Spirit. As a lifelong Southern Baptist I’ve noticed that we tend to shy away from any emphasis on the Holy Spirit due to our historical concerns over the liberal excesses of Pentecostal movements. Combine this with our cessation theology concerning the spiritual gifts and we have a “black hole” of knowledge when it comes to questions such as those that troubled my heart and mind.
Now, back to the main thing! After one intense week of prayer and fasting focused on the questions that burned within my soul I was blessed with the following revelation:
Life in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26) is an assurance and total awareness of the presence, power, and purpose of God for our individual lives. It involves our emotions but is more than a feeling. It includes our mind but is much more than intellectual assent. It is manifested by the fruit of the Spirit and is therefore visible to us and others. It has practical application in at least one spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 12:7) given to each believer to produce good results.
The Mind of Christ (Philippians 2:1-5) is the sum of surrendering absolute control of our life to the Holy Spirit’s process of sanctification [beginning at our justification and completed at our glorification] combined with our active and passionate pursuit of holiness for the purpose of godliness (1 Timothy 4:7). The result is a radical transformation by the renewing of our mind, so that we may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2).
Experiencing God (Matthew 22:37-38) is not an option but a privilege, indeed a proper human response to His loving initiative (1 John 4:7-19). As born again believers in Jesus Christ we must worship the Father in spirit and in truth. This requires an intimate, accurate and full knowledge of the Father as revealed in the Son and manifested in the Spirit. God is Trinity! We do Him an injustice if we love Him as Savior but don’t obey and serve Him as Lord. We have a weak or even faulty view of God if it only includes the grace of the New Testament and not the holiness of the Old Testament. Southern Baptists often short change the work of the Holy Spirit.
You may reasonably ask at this point how any of this resolves my questions? If you will stay with me just a little longer I promise to bring this to a sensible conclusion. I was convinced that my questions were legitimate; however, I began to understand that the way I was asking them needed some work. Preconceptions, theological baggage and little faith had created a box in my mind which I had always operated out of when asking God to answer my questions. I’ve always taught others not to put God in a box but this of course is ridiculous. The creation has no ability to place the creator into any sort of box. The problem is that we tend to operate out of boxes that make us feel confident, comfortable and in complete control of our situation. So, once I was able to break free of my self-imposed barriers to the truth I became aware that my position before the Lord was proper for asking the right questions in the right way: HUMBLY!
A verse from Paul’s epistle to the Corinthian Church captured my thoughts: 1 Corinthian 12:31, “But desire the greater gifts.” The Amplified Bible reads, “But earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts and graces (the higher gifts and the choicest graces). Doing a word study of this verse in the original Greek we discover the root word is zelotes and in this context it is used in the active and continuous voice which adds the nuance of “seek and keep on seeking” the greater gifts. Why is Paul so strongly encouraging the Church to zealously and actively seek these greater gifts if not for the greater glory of God the giver of all spiritual gifts?
This verse of Scripture was used by the Holy Spirit to enlighten my dull wits. The answers to my deep theologically significant questions were as simple as Paul’s instruction to the believers at Corinth. Inspired by the Holy Spirit to correct these early disciples, Paul was telling them that the sign gift (tongues) they took so much pride in was good but not great! Primarily, it edified the individual Christian by drawing them closer in relationship to God which is a good thing. But Paul is pointing out that greater gifts exist which bring greater glory to God and edifies the body of Christ corporately. Paul is exhorting us here to earnestly desire [seek and keep on seeking] the greater gifts without disparaging the gift you already possess. What lessons can we learn from this teaching? Spiritual Gifts have degrees of greatness and are ranked proportionate to the amount of glory that God receives not us. We are never to be content with the degree of glory that we shower on Christ Jesus through the sanctified use of our spiritual gift, but rather we should zealously cultivate a desire for even greater gifts to produce greater glory to give to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What result can we impact with our spiritual gift that provides the most glory to God? Jesus said in John 15:8, “My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.” Again in John 17:4, “I have glorified You on the earth by completing the work You gave Me to do.” And finally, in Luke 19:10, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” I have been asking the wrong question and therefore I consistently got the wrong answer. It is not for me to ask God [who is the same yesterday, today and forever] whether or not His “sign gifts” are still present and/or prevalent in the church today. This is a presumptuous and ill-conceived desire on my part to ask God the giver of all good gifts what He has placed in His gift packages even before I’ve received mine! My proper perspective towards all spiritual gifts is to understand that the Father in His infinite wisdom is ready and willing to give each one of us the gift or gifts that we are to use to bring Him the maximum glory. The first question I had became irrelevant.
In conclusion however, I still have to deal with the second question concerning the role, if any, of the believer in the spiritual gifting process. Paul’s inspired instruction to the born again believers at Corinth is sufficient to answer at least in part that we are to zealously desire the greater gifts without concern on our part what is in the package. We can trust God to make the right decision as to which gifts we need to accomplish the task He has set for us, but I do think that our availability to serve in any place and in any capacity at any time is a response of our human will. Our value to God is largely measured by this availability rather than our capability. Yet, I think there is a final issue germane to this discussion of human responsibility. The adage that practice makes perfect may not be biblical but it certainly proves to be practical in almost every situation. I believe that God’s Spirit provides the perfect spiritual gift for the assignment but we are required to exercise this gift through practice in order to maximize its effectiveness in a given time and place. Any student of a language beyond their own native tongue will agree that if you don’t use it you will lose it! I affirm that a significant portion of Southern Baptists are guilty of neglect with regard to using the spiritual “sign gifts” that God provided to bring great glory to Himself through the evangelical expansion of His Kingdom. We Southern Baptist, as a denomination, have accomplished much that is good and some that is great; however, due to atrophy our greatest gifts are weak to the point of impotence or in some cases totally absent! Fortunately, it’s not too late to reverse this spiritual deficiency. All we must do is eliminate the box from which we operate and allow our heavenly Father free reign in our lives to gift us as He sees fit and not as we feel comfortable. Combine this with a rigorous spiritual exercise program in which we daily use our God given gifts to bring great glory to Christ by producing much fruit. And finally, as our brother Paul has encouraged, “desire the greater gifts.”
JANUARY 2010
The past two years, during the month of January, I have practiced the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting. Spending one week in fervent prayer and fasting on only liquids, I seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit in developing our mission strategy for the coming year. This year the week from Sunday 10 January through Saturday 16 January proved to be most fruitful for me in both the spiritual and physical realms. Simply, the physical stress of fasting on liquids alone for a week proved to be much easier the second time around. Much of the suspense was gone as to how my body would respond. Spiritually, I was blessed with a profound answer to a question that has been nagging at my soul for several years. My purpose in writing this article is to provide readers with similar questions the encouragement to remain faithful in asking the Lord for answers to life’s most difficult questions. Our weak flesh nature, especially customized by the western influence of immediate gratification, is strongly tempted to give up quickly if an answer isn’t provided in a way and in a short period of time that satisfies our desire. This is not conducive to receiving answers from God because the consistent teaching of Scripture is that patience is a virtue and waiting upon the Lord is a command not a recommendation. Some wise person in my past taught me that if you ask the wrong question you will always get the wrong answer. Another application of this same principle is that if you ask the right question in the wrong way you are most likely going to misinterpret God’s response.
During the time I was undergoing training to become a strategy coordinator with our company we studied the Book of Acts as a textbook for facilitating a Church Planting Movement (CPM). It was a particular passage of this Scripture that formed the basis for my CPM strategy to reach the lost blue-collar workers of Jeju Island. However, I have always battled an issue that derives from this same Scripture and that created the burning questions which became the focus of my January 2010 “Week of Prayer and Fasting.” As a traditional, conservative Southern Baptist, I have been raised to believe in “cessation theology” when it comes to the “sign gifts.” My roots tell me that signs and wonders are a manifestation of the Holy Spirit primarily limited to the 1st Century’s “Apostolic Age” which concluded with the death of John, the last of Jesus’ original 12 anointed apostles. However, many of my missionary colleagues, based on personal experience and alternative interpretations of Scripture, strongly disagree with “cessation theology.”
The passage of Scripture to which I’ve been referring is Chapter Two of the Book of Acts. The questions that stirred my heart to spend a week in prayer and fasting for answers was: Are the Spiritual Gifts which we’ve designated as the “sign gifts” present and/or prevalent in the body of Christ today? If the answer is yes: What, if any, role does the believer have in the acquisition and use of these special Spiritual Gifts?
To begin our discussion of these questions and the answers I received from the Holy Spirit let’s look at Acts Chapter 2 in overview. We see first God’s blessing of Pentecost in verses 1-13, this is followed by Peter’s bold message to the crowd in Jerusalem in verses 14-40, and then finally, in verses 41-47 we see the positive results of power-filled proclamation. My strategy to reach the lost natives of Jeju-do through a CPM is derived specifically from Acts 2:41-43, which reads: “So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers. Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles.” I firmly believe that my people group will only be reached for Christ through the presence of the Holy Spirit demonstrated by powerful preaching of the gospel message of Jesus Christ, accompanied by signs and wonders.
Please bear with me for a moment as I digress to a subject that will prove useful to help you understand the illustration I use to discuss the insight I was provided by God’s Spirit during my week of prayer and fasting. In my past life as a Baptist Church Pastor I used several Bible study programs produced by LifeWay Christian Resources, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), to conduct discipleship training for my congregation. Three of these were of particular significance: Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby; The Mind of Christ by T.W. Hunt; and Life in the Spirit by Robertson McQuilkin. I found these in-depth studies to be very useful in presenting a well-rounded presentation of the triune Godhead of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Collectively, I feel these three study programs offer the most practical theological discipleship training available outside of a full three-year or more seminary education. Unfortunately, most churches only offered the highly popular Experiencing God, while a few found time to study The Mind of Christ, but very few are even aware of the existence of Life in the Spirit. As a lifelong Southern Baptist I’ve noticed that we tend to shy away from any emphasis on the Holy Spirit due to our historical concerns over the liberal excesses of Pentecostal movements. Combine this with our cessation theology concerning the spiritual gifts and we have a “black hole” of knowledge when it comes to questions such as those that troubled my heart and mind.
Now, back to the main thing! After one intense week of prayer and fasting focused on the questions that burned within my soul I was blessed with the following revelation:
Life in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26) is an assurance and total awareness of the presence, power, and purpose of God for our individual lives. It involves our emotions but is more than a feeling. It includes our mind but is much more than intellectual assent. It is manifested by the fruit of the Spirit and is therefore visible to us and others. It has practical application in at least one spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 12:7) given to each believer to produce good results.
The Mind of Christ (Philippians 2:1-5) is the sum of surrendering absolute control of our life to the Holy Spirit’s process of sanctification [beginning at our justification and completed at our glorification] combined with our active and passionate pursuit of holiness for the purpose of godliness (1 Timothy 4:7). The result is a radical transformation by the renewing of our mind, so that we may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2).
Experiencing God (Matthew 22:37-38) is not an option but a privilege, indeed a proper human response to His loving initiative (1 John 4:7-19). As born again believers in Jesus Christ we must worship the Father in spirit and in truth. This requires an intimate, accurate and full knowledge of the Father as revealed in the Son and manifested in the Spirit. God is Trinity! We do Him an injustice if we love Him as Savior but don’t obey and serve Him as Lord. We have a weak or even faulty view of God if it only includes the grace of the New Testament and not the holiness of the Old Testament. Southern Baptists often short change the work of the Holy Spirit.
You may reasonably ask at this point how any of this resolves my questions? If you will stay with me just a little longer I promise to bring this to a sensible conclusion. I was convinced that my questions were legitimate; however, I began to understand that the way I was asking them needed some work. Preconceptions, theological baggage and little faith had created a box in my mind which I had always operated out of when asking God to answer my questions. I’ve always taught others not to put God in a box but this of course is ridiculous. The creation has no ability to place the creator into any sort of box. The problem is that we tend to operate out of boxes that make us feel confident, comfortable and in complete control of our situation. So, once I was able to break free of my self-imposed barriers to the truth I became aware that my position before the Lord was proper for asking the right questions in the right way: HUMBLY!
A verse from Paul’s epistle to the Corinthian Church captured my thoughts: 1 Corinthian 12:31, “But desire the greater gifts.” The Amplified Bible reads, “But earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts and graces (the higher gifts and the choicest graces). Doing a word study of this verse in the original Greek we discover the root word is zelotes and in this context it is used in the active and continuous voice which adds the nuance of “seek and keep on seeking” the greater gifts. Why is Paul so strongly encouraging the Church to zealously and actively seek these greater gifts if not for the greater glory of God the giver of all spiritual gifts?
This verse of Scripture was used by the Holy Spirit to enlighten my dull wits. The answers to my deep theologically significant questions were as simple as Paul’s instruction to the believers at Corinth. Inspired by the Holy Spirit to correct these early disciples, Paul was telling them that the sign gift (tongues) they took so much pride in was good but not great! Primarily, it edified the individual Christian by drawing them closer in relationship to God which is a good thing. But Paul is pointing out that greater gifts exist which bring greater glory to God and edifies the body of Christ corporately. Paul is exhorting us here to earnestly desire [seek and keep on seeking] the greater gifts without disparaging the gift you already possess. What lessons can we learn from this teaching? Spiritual Gifts have degrees of greatness and are ranked proportionate to the amount of glory that God receives not us. We are never to be content with the degree of glory that we shower on Christ Jesus through the sanctified use of our spiritual gift, but rather we should zealously cultivate a desire for even greater gifts to produce greater glory to give to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What result can we impact with our spiritual gift that provides the most glory to God? Jesus said in John 15:8, “My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.” Again in John 17:4, “I have glorified You on the earth by completing the work You gave Me to do.” And finally, in Luke 19:10, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” I have been asking the wrong question and therefore I consistently got the wrong answer. It is not for me to ask God [who is the same yesterday, today and forever] whether or not His “sign gifts” are still present and/or prevalent in the church today. This is a presumptuous and ill-conceived desire on my part to ask God the giver of all good gifts what He has placed in His gift packages even before I’ve received mine! My proper perspective towards all spiritual gifts is to understand that the Father in His infinite wisdom is ready and willing to give each one of us the gift or gifts that we are to use to bring Him the maximum glory. The first question I had became irrelevant.
In conclusion however, I still have to deal with the second question concerning the role, if any, of the believer in the spiritual gifting process. Paul’s inspired instruction to the born again believers at Corinth is sufficient to answer at least in part that we are to zealously desire the greater gifts without concern on our part what is in the package. We can trust God to make the right decision as to which gifts we need to accomplish the task He has set for us, but I do think that our availability to serve in any place and in any capacity at any time is a response of our human will. Our value to God is largely measured by this availability rather than our capability. Yet, I think there is a final issue germane to this discussion of human responsibility. The adage that practice makes perfect may not be biblical but it certainly proves to be practical in almost every situation. I believe that God’s Spirit provides the perfect spiritual gift for the assignment but we are required to exercise this gift through practice in order to maximize its effectiveness in a given time and place. Any student of a language beyond their own native tongue will agree that if you don’t use it you will lose it! I affirm that a significant portion of Southern Baptists are guilty of neglect with regard to using the spiritual “sign gifts” that God provided to bring great glory to Himself through the evangelical expansion of His Kingdom. We Southern Baptist, as a denomination, have accomplished much that is good and some that is great; however, due to atrophy our greatest gifts are weak to the point of impotence or in some cases totally absent! Fortunately, it’s not too late to reverse this spiritual deficiency. All we must do is eliminate the box from which we operate and allow our heavenly Father free reign in our lives to gift us as He sees fit and not as we feel comfortable. Combine this with a rigorous spiritual exercise program in which we daily use our God given gifts to bring great glory to Christ by producing much fruit. And finally, as our brother Paul has encouraged, “desire the greater gifts.”
Helaine's insights from her Bible study
Helaine’s Bible study insights
I am doing a Bible study by Avery Willis and Henry Blackaby called On Mission With God. One of the points they constantly make is to have you question yourself on what stands between you and your fully obeying God’s desire in your life. There is one point that really touched me and made me really think. The study references Genesis 12:2-3 and states, “Blessing is never just for yourself; it is always to be passed on to others!” Many times I think we want God’s blessing, and we expect that it is ours for our personal use. I really have to evaluate how I am using God’s many blessings to me. Have I put some on a shelf marked for my use only? Another point stated that the struggles we go through help us be ready to do God’s will. If you are like me, I like to avoid hard, difficult things like struggles. This made me think about whether I may be missing some of God’s training if I avoid the struggles He wants me to go through. OUCH! I have a feeling that I am going through most of the struggles He wants me to go through, but I am very much convicted that my attitude has not been right as I have gone through them. Another section stated, “Each trial you face prepares you for further testing to become equipped to accomplish your mission with God.” When I read this, I have to say that my heart rebelled. It is very challenging to see that trials and testings are what are going to equip me to successfully serve God. I haven’t finished this study, and God hasn’t finished working into me all that He is trying to teach me from this study. I have really enjoyed the character studies it does showing the points through the lives of Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus. I am only half through so I am looking forward to studying more about Peter, Paul and John, and how they were on mission with God.
I am doing a Bible study by Avery Willis and Henry Blackaby called On Mission With God. One of the points they constantly make is to have you question yourself on what stands between you and your fully obeying God’s desire in your life. There is one point that really touched me and made me really think. The study references Genesis 12:2-3 and states, “Blessing is never just for yourself; it is always to be passed on to others!” Many times I think we want God’s blessing, and we expect that it is ours for our personal use. I really have to evaluate how I am using God’s many blessings to me. Have I put some on a shelf marked for my use only? Another point stated that the struggles we go through help us be ready to do God’s will. If you are like me, I like to avoid hard, difficult things like struggles. This made me think about whether I may be missing some of God’s training if I avoid the struggles He wants me to go through. OUCH! I have a feeling that I am going through most of the struggles He wants me to go through, but I am very much convicted that my attitude has not been right as I have gone through them. Another section stated, “Each trial you face prepares you for further testing to become equipped to accomplish your mission with God.” When I read this, I have to say that my heart rebelled. It is very challenging to see that trials and testings are what are going to equip me to successfully serve God. I haven’t finished this study, and God hasn’t finished working into me all that He is trying to teach me from this study. I have really enjoyed the character studies it does showing the points through the lives of Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus. I am only half through so I am looking forward to studying more about Peter, Paul and John, and how they were on mission with God.
Mar 9, 2010
March 2010 Strategic Prayer Requests
1. Please pray for the senior citizens of Changcheonri. This small village has no Christian witness. Recently we met about twenty retired men from the area that spend their afternoons playing games and telling stories. After hearing of our interest in their history we were given an open invitation to join the group anytime. Ask the Holy Spirit to provide us the opportunity for sharing the good news with these Jeju native gentlemen.
2. Please pray for the farmers, fishermen and Haenyo (diving women) of Hadori. This small village has no evangelical Christian witness. During our prayer walk of this area we met several people that showed an interest in our activity and invited us to come back for a more personal visitation. Ask the Holy Spirit to open minds and hearts and reveal a person of peace from this strategically important village. Hadori is home to over 500 Haenyo.
3. Please pray for the six elementary/middle school children that attend our English Bible study at the in Seogwipo. These young people are receiving educational tutoring from the mission center staff and we have been given the opportunity to share the gospel with them through Chronological Bible Stories. Ask the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of these children so they and their families will experience God’s Love.
1. Please pray for the senior citizens of Changcheonri. This small village has no Christian witness. Recently we met about twenty retired men from the area that spend their afternoons playing games and telling stories. After hearing of our interest in their history we were given an open invitation to join the group anytime. Ask the Holy Spirit to provide us the opportunity for sharing the good news with these Jeju native gentlemen.
2. Please pray for the farmers, fishermen and Haenyo (diving women) of Hadori. This small village has no evangelical Christian witness. During our prayer walk of this area we met several people that showed an interest in our activity and invited us to come back for a more personal visitation. Ask the Holy Spirit to open minds and hearts and reveal a person of peace from this strategically important village. Hadori is home to over 500 Haenyo.
3. Please pray for the six elementary/middle school children that attend our English Bible study at the in Seogwipo. These young people are receiving educational tutoring from the mission center staff and we have been given the opportunity to share the gospel with them through Chronological Bible Stories. Ask the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of these children so they and their families will experience God’s Love.
Feb 16, 2010
Thanks so much for keeping us in your prayers.
Phil and Sue visited the senior citizens center in the village of Changchun-Li today. They have gone to the village many times in the past 3-4 months. Each time it has been less than encouraging. Today they went into the senior citizens center and had some good conversations with the men there. They were able to meet the leader of the center and were encouraged to come visit again. Many times we have had good witnessing opportunities with men, and then after their wives find out, they reject us, their Bibles and the gospel message. Please pray that these men will continue to be open and friendly. Please pray for Phil and Sue to be able to develop good relationships and witness opportunities with these men. They plan to return again next Monday.
Phil and Sue were able to visit Mr. P today. Please pray that he will hunger to know the True Word. Pray that he will desire to study again.
This past weekend, we were able to meet with the H. family. We were able to witness to them. Please pray that they will be reminded of the message they heard. Please pray that they will know the truth of that message.
Thanks,
Phil and Helaine
Phil and Sue visited the senior citizens center in the village of Changchun-Li today. They have gone to the village many times in the past 3-4 months. Each time it has been less than encouraging. Today they went into the senior citizens center and had some good conversations with the men there. They were able to meet the leader of the center and were encouraged to come visit again. Many times we have had good witnessing opportunities with men, and then after their wives find out, they reject us, their Bibles and the gospel message. Please pray that these men will continue to be open and friendly. Please pray for Phil and Sue to be able to develop good relationships and witness opportunities with these men. They plan to return again next Monday.
Phil and Sue were able to visit Mr. P today. Please pray that he will hunger to know the True Word. Pray that he will desire to study again.
This past weekend, we were able to meet with the H. family. We were able to witness to them. Please pray that they will be reminded of the message they heard. Please pray that they will know the truth of that message.
Thanks,
Phil and Helaine
Feb 2, 2010
February Requests
Here are our February Prayer Focus Requests
1. Please continue to pray for the people of Hado-ri. We have discovered
through Mr. L, our contact in the village, that the largest association
of Haenyo on the island, approximately 500 diving women, work in this
area.
Ask the Holy Spirit to open the mind and heart of Mr. L to help us find
a way to minister to this group of Jeju ladies lost in Shamanism.
2. Please pray for the senior citizens of ChangCheonRi. Our visit with
the village chief indicates that approximately 150 men and women from this
town in AhnDukMyeon are older residents, many with physical and emotional
needs that are not being met. This village has no Christian witness so
ask the Holy Spirit to open a door of opportunity for our ministry.
3. Please pray for the six elementary school children that attend the
Solomon the Wise Mission Center in Seogwipo. The mission director, Pastor
K, has requested our ministry to teach English using Bible
stories. None of these young people are born-again believers so ask the
Holy Spirit to convict these children of their need for a Savior and help
us to persuade them to give their lives to the Lord.
Thank you for your support,
Helaine and Phil
1. Please continue to pray for the people of Hado-ri. We have discovered
through Mr. L, our contact in the village, that the largest association
of Haenyo on the island, approximately 500 diving women, work in this
area.
Ask the Holy Spirit to open the mind and heart of Mr. L to help us find
a way to minister to this group of Jeju ladies lost in Shamanism.
2. Please pray for the senior citizens of ChangCheonRi. Our visit with
the village chief indicates that approximately 150 men and women from this
town in AhnDukMyeon are older residents, many with physical and emotional
needs that are not being met. This village has no Christian witness so
ask the Holy Spirit to open a door of opportunity for our ministry.
3. Please pray for the six elementary school children that attend the
Solomon the Wise Mission Center in Seogwipo. The mission director, Pastor
K, has requested our ministry to teach English using Bible
stories. None of these young people are born-again believers so ask the
Holy Spirit to convict these children of their need for a Savior and help
us to persuade them to give their lives to the Lord.
Thank you for your support,
Helaine and Phil
Jan 5, 2010
Dear Prayer Partners,
I am so sorry I have fallen off giving out prayer updates and requests. It has been a busy time. An electrical storm took out a lot of our electronics, including my computer, and that started it all. We have some exciting plans for the new year in ministry. We have some disappointments as well.
--Mr. P, first asked for a break from discipleship since his crops were keeping him so busy. He had planned to start back up with his discipleship in April. He has since started to avoid us and resist talking with us. We keep giving him gifts and reaching out to him. We aren't sure what caused the change. We pray that he will feel compelled to be upfront and honest with us. Pray that we will find a good time to visit him where he will feel comfortable opening up to us.
--The new year is bringing about some new plans and strategies. As a team we are committing ourselves to fasting and praying for the lost of Jeju once a month. On the first Sunday of each month we will focus on those we specifically know who are lost and for the many others that live here and are lost. We also would like to ask you if you would be willing to adopt one of our individuals/families that our team has a relationship with but is still not a believer. If you would like to commit to praying for one of these on a daily basis, please contact me and I will give you a name and more specific information about that family or individual.
--Another new strategy started several months ago. We have a plan to go into a village and focus on ministering there. Phil had chosen ChangChunLee and he a Sue, our partner here, have gone there to look for openings to start some ministries. Time and again doors have been shut and we haven't found any openings. We are still praying about whether we should continue trying to work in this village. There is no Christian presence in this village which is why we chose it. This past New Year's Day we went with a couple with whom we are seeking to develop a relationship. They aren't believers but are natives to Jeju. Our focus was on spending the early morning sunrise hours with them to strength our relationship and have a good time. We traveled out to the east coast to attend an event begin held in HadoLee. It was a nice event. After it was all over and we were standing around, the man in charge of the event and the agro specialist(fisheries) for the village came over to talk with us. He wanted to practice some English. He is a self taught English speaker. He was very pleasant and seemed open to visiting with us. Now we are praying about and planning a future visit with him to see if maybe this is to be our first village to focus our ministry in this new strategy. We aren't sure exactly which ways we should start ministry here and pray for God's direction, guidance and sensitivity as we meet this man and visit more in the village.
--We have had some difficulties with our oldest son this past semester. This next semester he will be living with a couple from our company while finishing out his sophomore year at Faith. Please pray for this situation. We plan to be on stateside, living in Seminole, Texas, next fall. The boys will go to school there for that semester. We will return to Jeju in January 2011. Daniel and David plan to attend TCIS as boarding students here in Korea that spring semester. This is the school the boys attended while we were in language training in Taejon, South Korea so they are excited to see how many of the kids they still know.
Thanks for keeping us and the work here in Jeju in your prayers.
The Hamlines
I am so sorry I have fallen off giving out prayer updates and requests. It has been a busy time. An electrical storm took out a lot of our electronics, including my computer, and that started it all. We have some exciting plans for the new year in ministry. We have some disappointments as well.
--Mr. P, first asked for a break from discipleship since his crops were keeping him so busy. He had planned to start back up with his discipleship in April. He has since started to avoid us and resist talking with us. We keep giving him gifts and reaching out to him. We aren't sure what caused the change. We pray that he will feel compelled to be upfront and honest with us. Pray that we will find a good time to visit him where he will feel comfortable opening up to us.
--The new year is bringing about some new plans and strategies. As a team we are committing ourselves to fasting and praying for the lost of Jeju once a month. On the first Sunday of each month we will focus on those we specifically know who are lost and for the many others that live here and are lost. We also would like to ask you if you would be willing to adopt one of our individuals/families that our team has a relationship with but is still not a believer. If you would like to commit to praying for one of these on a daily basis, please contact me and I will give you a name and more specific information about that family or individual.
--Another new strategy started several months ago. We have a plan to go into a village and focus on ministering there. Phil had chosen ChangChunLee and he a Sue, our partner here, have gone there to look for openings to start some ministries. Time and again doors have been shut and we haven't found any openings. We are still praying about whether we should continue trying to work in this village. There is no Christian presence in this village which is why we chose it. This past New Year's Day we went with a couple with whom we are seeking to develop a relationship. They aren't believers but are natives to Jeju. Our focus was on spending the early morning sunrise hours with them to strength our relationship and have a good time. We traveled out to the east coast to attend an event begin held in HadoLee. It was a nice event. After it was all over and we were standing around, the man in charge of the event and the agro specialist(fisheries) for the village came over to talk with us. He wanted to practice some English. He is a self taught English speaker. He was very pleasant and seemed open to visiting with us. Now we are praying about and planning a future visit with him to see if maybe this is to be our first village to focus our ministry in this new strategy. We aren't sure exactly which ways we should start ministry here and pray for God's direction, guidance and sensitivity as we meet this man and visit more in the village.
--We have had some difficulties with our oldest son this past semester. This next semester he will be living with a couple from our company while finishing out his sophomore year at Faith. Please pray for this situation. We plan to be on stateside, living in Seminole, Texas, next fall. The boys will go to school there for that semester. We will return to Jeju in January 2011. Daniel and David plan to attend TCIS as boarding students here in Korea that spring semester. This is the school the boys attended while we were in language training in Taejon, South Korea so they are excited to see how many of the kids they still know.
Thanks for keeping us and the work here in Jeju in your prayers.
The Hamlines
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