Dear friends and family,
This is Ginny (Jiwoo) Shim. How are you?
Despite the hot weather these days, I hope everything is going on well in your life. I’m writing this letter just to let you know about some of the things that are happening in my life right now.
It’s my freshmen year in college (at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul), and so far it has been pretty good. I love learning new and diverse things in school in a totally new and different environment. At times it gets stressful not only because of studies and the loads of school work I have to do, but because of people relationships. Especially because it’s my first year in college I’m doing my best to fit in and find friends who share similar values with me and so far everything is quite smooth. Right before college began, during winter vacation, I happened to go to our church (Jubilee Church in Seoul) which, I think, provided the perfect timing for my mind and particularly my Christianity. Although it has only been a few months since I have been here, I decided to take the great opportunity to go on a mission trip to Cambodia this summer with Jubilee. I hope this mission trip will guide me to have a closer relationship with God and with others.
During the summer, July 21st – August 10th, around 30 people, including myself, from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Arizona, New York, and Seoul will be heading to Cambodia. At the Center of Peace Orphanage we will be working with the younger kids and older youths. Also there will be around 900-1000 Cambodian women coming from all over the country to listen to other’s testimonies. This will be encouraging to the women to see the progression of their lives from much pain and oppression to freedom and empowerment. We will also be working to help out the children in poor communities as well as providing medical care for those in need.
The Cambodia mission trip has the goal to meet the physical and spiritual needs of those who are not easily within the reach of help when necessary. Although I am worried that as I myself am still in the process of trying to figure out whom I am in God, through your prayers, I believe that not only my own faith but those of the people we are helping out are going to strengthen. So above other things, I would appreciate your prayers for a safe, healthy, faithful, and overall successful mission trip in Cambodia.
Beyond your prayers, I would be extremely grateful if you could provide financial aid to make the mission trip even more successful. We have been raising the mission fees through various methods during the past months, through a church wide auction, a walkathon, and other donations, but we could still use more support. This mission trip is personally and as a group a call from God, and I would really appreciate it if you could become a part of it through this way.
Once again I hope everything is going well. Thank you for taking your time to read this letter. Remember that I will always be praying for you.
With love,
Ginny Jiwoo Shim