Dear Family & Friends,
Four years ago, I left my life in New York and came to South Korea promising that I would return to my beloved city of Manhattan sooner than later. However, time has flown by and I’ve fallen in love with my life in Seoul. So much has happened during these past few years of living in the motherland.
Needless to say, work has had its share of ups and downs. But I’m grateful that there have been more blessings, than setbacks. I’m currently in the middle of an annual madness known as Summer Intensives, so there has been little time to enjoy much of anything outside of the classroom. Regardless, I love interacting with my students. I love having the chance to live vicariously through their dramatic stories of campus life & adolescent angst. I consider myself very lucky to spend my days in a place where both the staff and the students genuinely enjoy each other’s company.
During the hours when I’m not teaching, I’ve been spending more time getting involved at my church. I started attending Jubilee Church relatively soon after my move to Seoul, but have only recently been getting plugged in to the various ministries. Initially, I just sat through the Sunday service, trying to remain invisible. But as I began to familiarize myself with other members of the congregation, polite conversations turned into friendly acquaintances. Over time, these acquaintances grew into meaningful relationships. And through these relationships, a genuine desire to establish long-term roots for a potential future in Seoul began to take shape.
Beyond the institution of church, it was through the growth of my newfound relationships, within the context of my Christian faith, which gave me the ability to look beyond the things in life that solely centered on my needs, my desires, my goals, and my hopes.
In addition with this shift in perspective, I have been given an incredible opportunity to go on a summer mission trip to Indonesia, and work in collaboration with an organization called Food for the Hungry*. Without a doubt, God has played a central role in the changes, the relationships, the opportunities, the insights, and the subsequent healing I have experienced in my life. As a result, I’m trying to remain faithful and obedient to see how God is working in a completely different part of the world.
This summer, August 25th – September 1st, our team of 10 members will be traveling to four villages located in Medan, Indonesia. Medan is the capital of the Sumatra province located on the northern coast of Indonesia. In collaboration with Food for the Hungry, our team will be traveling to the villages to spend time with the children teaching them bible songs, dramas/skits based on stories in the bible, and various arts/crafts activities that correspond with the songs/dramas. We will also be working to provide a training curriculum for the field teachers in the villages. All of these activities will complement our actions of love, worship, devotion, and prayer.
This trip provides an opportunity to meet the physical and spiritual needs of a community that is desperately in need. More than anything, what we need most is your prayers. We need your prayers to cover our team and those whose lives will be touched by God through us. I believe that God answers prayers. So, I humbly ask you to pray for steadfast faith, physical safety, courage, strong physical & spiritual health, smooth travel, and financial support.
In addition to your prayers, if you feel led to join this cause by financially supporting this mission, I would be very grateful. Our group needs to raise 15,000,000W (US $13,000) to cover the total cost of the trip. Individually, we need to raise 1,500,000W (US $1,300). We will have to be creative to raise the funds required for this mission trip, and I want to extend an invitation to you to participate. To make it as easy as possible, please visit www.jubilink.com. Our project page is titled “Indonesia 2012” and all the necessary information is on the website.
This is a journey that God has called me to, and I would appreciate any level of support you are able to offer.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. If you have any questions, please let me know. I hope to hear from you soon.
Blessings,
Cynthia Yoo
* Food for the Hungry is an international Christian relief and development organization that works in more than 26 countries around the world. The mission of Food for the Hungry is to walk with churches, leaders and families in overcoming all forms of human poverty by living in healthy relationship with God and His creation. (www.fh.org)