(S)he who waters. WOTR 2006

Women Of The Rock - Testimonies

"...and he who waters will himself be watered."

It is essential to give people a chance of acting on the truth of God. The responsibility must be left with the individual, you cannot act for him, it must be his own deliberate act, but the evangelical message ought always to lead a man to act. The paralysis of refusing to act leaves a man exactly where he was before; when once he acts, he is never the same. It is the foolishness of it that stands in the way of hundreds who have been convicted by the Spirit of God. Immediately I precipitate myself over into an act, that second I live; all the rest is existence. The moments when I truly live are the moments when I act with my whole will.

Never allow a truth of God that is brought home to your soul to pass without acting on it, not necessarily physically, but in will. Record it, with ink or with blood.

The feeblest saint who transacts business with Jesus Christ is emancipated the second he acts; all the almighty power of God is on his behalf. We come up to the truth of God, we confess we are wrong, but go back again; then we come up to it again, and go back; until we learn that we have no business to go back. We have to go clean over on some word of our redeeming Lord and transact business with Him. His word "come" means "transact." "Come unto Me." The last thing we do is to come; but everyone who does come knows that that second the supernatural rush of the life of God invades him instantly. The dominating power of the world, the flesh and the devil is paralyzed, not by your act, but because your act has linked you on to God and His redemptive power.

November 4

- My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

- James 4:8

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

“Being Rooted”

“ Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” - Hebrews 10:25

The next time you visit a dense forest, try to imagine what is taking place under your feet. Scientists now know that when the roots of trees come into contact with one another, a substance is released that encourages the growth of a particular kind of fungus. This fungus helps link roots of different trees – even those of dissimilar species. If one tree has access to water, another to nutrients, and a third to sunlight, the fungus enables the transfer of these items to trees that may be in need. Thus, the trees have the means of sharing with one another to preserve them all. Our culture today applauds individualism. However, it tends to isolate people from one another and cut them off from the mainstream of life. With more and more people working at home or in walled offices and with schedules crammed tighter than ever with work and activities, feelings of loneliness are more likely to increase than decrease. Don’t allow isolation to overcome you! Reach out to others. Give where you can. Learn to receive when others give to you. Build a network of friends, not just colleagues. And above all, root yourself into a group that nourishes and builds you up spiritually – your church…. And within your church, your small groups. The church is like a bank –the more you put into it, the more interest you have in it. – God’s Little Devotional Journal for Women

Testimonies

p. 6 01. Anita Parsons-Ko p. 7-8 02. Diana Shin p. 9 03. Erin Leung p. 10 04. Janet Hsu p. 11-12 05. Hannah Kim p. 13 06. Janette Lee p. 14 07. Judy Kim p. 15-16 08. Jenny Hong p. 17 09. Julie Song p. 18 10. Karen Cho p. 19-20 11. Leslie Kim p. 21 12. Liz Ryu-Christianson p. 22 13. Michelle To p. 23 14. Soojin Do p. 24 15. Sonia Sun-Yang Lee p. 25-26 16. Tammy Kim p. 27-28 17. Tina Choe

WOTR Women Of The Rock 2006 for His

glory…

Just recently I was reintroduced to this passage during a bible study and it really moved me. It made me think about how important it is to have the Holy Spirit fill your heart with Christ. When everything is right with God and your heart is filled with Christ, any of life’s challenges seem manageable.

Physically, the heart is what pumps blood and spreads life to the rest of the body. Comparably, the spiritual heart spreads life to the spiritual body affecting your thoughts and actions. If my heart is filled with Christ then my thoughts and actions will be representative of this. As a mother, wife, nurse, and friend I would be patient, kind, gentle, loving, wise, joyful, and exemplify utmost faith. How amazing would that be?

This verse also reminds me that we have to guard our heart because it is always under attack. Our heart is continually tempted by the things of this world. Without Christ your heart is a habitation for unholy thoughts and sinful passions. With Christ in your heart, He gives you the strength to guard it.

I continually pray that God will fill my heart with the Holy Spirit so that when I’m working as a wife, mother, nurse, and friend, God’s loving kindness and grace will flow from my heart and be exhibited in my words and my actions.

“Watch over your heart with all diligence for from it flows the springs of life. “

Galatians 5:13

02.1 Diana Shin

Ladies, doesn’t it drive you crazy always picking up your husband’s dirty socks off the floor day after day? I’ve been there too, but here’s what I’ve learned – sometimes you can just pick them up without saying a word.

You don’t have to let him know you’re right and he’s wrong. It’s our nature to want to make the other person see it your way, but it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that your heart is always right with God and what you do and say is pleasing to him. It’s so much easier to do something for someone else when you think that ultimately, you are doing it for the Lord. I try to remind myself of that every time I’m too tired to make another meal, or clean, or to wash another dish. Serving my husband, my family, my boss, and my friends in

LOVE has a way of humbling my heart and releasing any feeling of burden or effort. When you serve others in love you honor them, and in turn honor God and who doesn’t want to do that?

I’ve tried to honor the Lord in my marriage this way and God has helped me to teach me more about myself and the kind of love and relationship He wants from me. I know that He wants a love that is not too proud to serve, to give in, not having to act like the strong, dominant one because

He makes me strong in more important ways. It was my life verse for my marriage that reminded me again of the kind of life I should strive to lead:

Romans 12:10: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.”

The next time you pick up your husband’s dirty socks off the floor or have to put the toilet seat down, let us do it without complaining and do it in love, because ultimately, we are serving God in our marriage and giving Him all the honor.

“For you were called to freedom, brethren: only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

Galatians 6:6

My friend gets so excited sharing things God is doing in her life. She’ll jump at the chance to tell you she’s a Christian. She’s not afraid to talk about Jesus and wonder what people think. It reminds me of the nature of children, how they just jump right in, trusting and loving without any reservations. It reminds me – I should have the same fervor all the time.

Let’s keep encouraging and sharing what God’s doing in your life. You never know the impact it has on others

Diana Shin

I recently went on a trip to Europe with a friend of mine who I’ve known for a couple of years. I had never been to Europe before so I was really excited to go, although I was a little worried about how I’d get along with my travel buddy. This friend of mine has recently become a Christian, after going through a troubled past. We saw some of the most amazing things and experienced God’s beautiful natural creations.

There were many long rides on planes, trains, subways, and buses. My friend and I talked a lot and I started to get to know the amazing things God has been doing in her life since she has opened her heart to Jesus. He turned her from being unhappy, hardened, and depressed to a loving, kind, generous person. He helped her to forgive her parents and restore their relationship, and He helped her overcome some dependency issues. Jesus has been reconfirming her faith every step, to let her know that He is real.

It encourages me so much to see a new believer discovering the amazing love and grace of Jesus.

Before I left for my trip I prayed that God would keep us safe and help us to meet good people who would help guide us and He surely honoured that prayer. During our first day in Rome, we had planned on taking the subway to visit the Coliseum. While we were having breakfast, we learned that there was a subway crash early that morning. Chances are we would have been in that accident. We woke up every morning at 7am on our trip, but my friend wasn’t feeling well the night before so we turned in early and somehow we had slept in until 8am that morning. I knew without a doubt that God had kept us safe.

On the way to Venice, we met a Swiss senior’s bridge club on their way to Venice, too. We talked and they entertained us for 6 hours.

On the way to Florence, we met an Italian lady who gave us her home number and told us to call her if we needed anything.

The next day, we wanted to get up early again to see all the sights but we didn’t have an alarm clock or wake up service. I asked my friend what time she wanted to get up and she said 7am, so I prayed for God to wake us up at 7.

The next morning, we woke up and my friend asked what time it was so I passed her the watch and it was 7 on the dot. She was amazed and just screamed “I love God!”

On the way home, we met an Italian couple from Vancouver who convinced the train conductor to reopen the train doors so that we could board and get to the airport in Rome. Without their help we would have missed our flight home. There are half a dozen more incidents of meeting certain people who helped us so much along the way

It’s been so good for my spiritual life to see how God is changing my friend’s life. I just know that she will eventually bring her fiancé and her family to Jesus in time, too. In the meantime, talking and sharing and giving thanks to God when we meet, makes our friendship even more meaningful.

“The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.”

God’s Awesome Plan”

Erin Leung

I’ve asked God why He has brought me all the way here to Canada where I had no family or friends. “Why now when I need the help from my family the most in raising my children, I’m thousands miles away from them?” Although I would ask (or should I say “complain”?) God questions like this, deep in my heart I knew that He had a perfect plan for me to be here at this particular time. I wasn’t obedient to God in the past. As the result, I learned many things in hard ways. After this particular hard lesson just before I came to Canada, I finally learned to obey God, which helped me to go through the trials when I would rather run back. Looking back at how God has guided me it’s clear to me that each step was to build the next one to lead me closer to God so that someday the gospel will spread through me the way He wants. Every time I am in a desperate need of some help from my family either physically, emotionally, or spiritually, I had only God to rely on. Being away from all the help I could have indeed brought me closer to the Lord. God surely knows me well; if it weren’t for the fact that I am here alone, I wouldn’t have learned to go to God first. But, this is just the tip of the iceberg that God wants me to learn. Our God is an awesome God! It’s after coming to Canada that I learned about having a personal relationship with the Lord, that I began to be able to read the Bible and feel so personal and relevant, that I am learning to live on God’s will rather than my will and to surrender completely to God. The most amazing experience recently, however, is that God has placed in me a stronger desire and courage to share the gospel with my non-believing family and friends. Through the last five years, God has showed me faithfully that when we make ourselves available to Him, He can lead us to where he wants us to be and place us where He’s at work. He has also proved again and again that “… all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.” (Romans 8:28) I feel so privileged and blessed to have such an awesome God to call Father.

“

Lately, I have been convicted to be a diligent prayerful parent. This verse confirms that we, as parents are to treat our children as gifts from the Lord. One way to treat them as such, is to pray for them. Being a primary teacher, I come across many children each day. I’ve sometimes wondered how many of my students have the benefit of having parents who pray for them on a consistent basis. I would guess that most of them don’t since most are not believers. Even as believers, we get so busy with work or other things in our lives that prayer sometimes falls on the “to-do” list. I am guilty of that when life gets chaotic and keeps me from having a time of prayer with the Lord. As Sung stated in one of his sermons, “if you are too busy…you’re just too busy.” You have to make it a priority to pray for your child and to pray for other children. If you have enough time to read, surf the net, check email or watch tv, you have enough time to pray. Aren’t children our most precious gift? It is a choice that we need to make in order to have a quiet time of prayer, especially for our children. Of course we need to pray for the big things like their salvation, health and safety. We also need to pray for the day-to-day things that happen in their daily lives. We need to pray that they will make good friends who will influence them in good ways. We also need to pray that our children will be obedient to those who have authority over them. Pray that they will make good choices in their day-to-day lives since we are not with them every minute of the day. It is also important to pray for their future as it is important to pray for the present. It is not enough just to pray for them, but to pray with them so that they can draw nearer to the Lord and establish a relationship with God. In the world in which we live today, wouldn’t you want to protect and armour your child with prayer? Children are given to us by the Lord, so it is our duty or assignment to pray for them. It is easy to love your child, but a true gift to your child would be for you to pray on their behalf.

“Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.”

05.1 Hannah Kim

God has shown me so much through my girls. I just want to share with you the things God has been doing through them that has ministered to me. You really learn so much through your children.

gumball machines and once in a while I let the girls get a gum after our swim.

One day, Autumn and Emma both got a gum. Autumn got a watermelon flavor gum and Emma got a yellow one. Emma saw Unnie’s gum and wanted to get the watermelon gum the next time.

Next time we went swimming the girls got gum and this time Emma got a white gumball. She was a little disappointed, because she really wanted the watermelon one.

God to PLEASE answer Emma’s prayer and to show her that God does care about all our needs, not just the big ones but the little ones as well. As we walked to the gumball machine, I saw Emma putting both hands over the glass gumball machine and bow and pray.

I prayed right along with her inside, (I wasn’t as calm as Emma though). I couldn’t see which gum came out. She walked over to me and in her closed hand slowly opened up to show me the WATERMELON gum!

Matthew 21:15-16

But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have perfected praise'?"

Bubble gum…

Nothing is too small for God

I take the girls swimming at our local community centre swimming pool. At the lobby, there are

A few weeks later, as we were walking toward the community centre, Emma asked me if she prayed and asked God to give her the watermelon gum, would God answer her prayer.

I looked down at her and said that God cares about all our needs, the big and the small. I told her to pray and ask God because he hears your prayers and cares.

As we were walking from the parking lot, Emma prayed right there. I couldn’t hear what she said exactly since she prayed inside. I just saw her fold her hands and bow her head and close her eyes.

After our swim and got dressed, we walked over to the gumball machine. I prayed, I cried out to

She had such a happy, confident face, and she said to me, “God does care about our little things, even as small as a gum ball”. And I looked at her with a big smile and said, “Yes, God cares for all our needs, even the small ones, even our gum balls”.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

God cares about ALL our concerns, there’s nothing too big or too small that God doesn’t see and care. Let’s remember to cast all our cares to Him, even our gumballs.

Goldfish…

This past Halloween, we were in California. The girls and I went to Calvary Chapel of Huntington Beach for their Halloween Festival. They had game booths set up and pony rides and a puppet show about Jesus. The girls had a great time playing all the bible character games and winning candies as their prize. As we went around to each booth, we went to one booth that had little goldfish in fishbowls. You got three ping-pong balls and you had to throw the ball into the bowl. We thought, if you win, you get candy, just like the rest of the booths. Autumn went first and her second ball landed inside the fish bowl. To our surprise, she got a candy and a goldfish in a plastic bag. Emma was next, now she really wanted to get the ball in so she

could get a fish too. All three of her balls missed, so she just got candy. Only if you get a ball in the bowl do you get a fish and candy, if not, just candy. Emma was so sad. We did some other booths and the bouncy house. Autumn could tell that Emma was sad so asked if we could try the fish booth again. We went back in line and tried again. As the girls stood in line, they prayed that they could get the ball in. Autumn said, “Emma, I’ll give you the fish if I get the ball in”. As the girls were waiting in line, they both prayed really hard.

I prayed inside too, begging God to please help them get a ball in the fishbowl.

Autumn went first and missed all three. Emma went again and missed again. We moved on to other things and it was almost time to go home. Autumn could tell that Emma was really sad, so asked if she could try one more time for Emma. I said okay, and this time all of us would try. Once again, we were in line and I could see the girls praying so hard.

I prayed too. Autumn went and missed all three. Emma went second and missed all three. Now it was up to me. I prayed and prayed that God would help me get the ball in. (In my entire life, I have never won anything at games, so it would take a miracle).

Let us not loose hope in prayer. Our prayers are heard and it does matter.

Hannah Kim

My first ball bounced and missed the fish bowl. I tossed the second and it went in. I screamed and jumped and thanked God. We walked away with two goldfish.

What really touched me was Autumn. She saw how much it meant to Emma and prayed and tried to get a fish for Emma. I believe that God loves to hear us pray for others than for ourselves. And the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Let us not loose hope in prayer. Our prayers are heard and it does matter.

“Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

06. Janette Lee

I love our church...

In today’s ‘self & wealth’ society, I realize this is an odd thing to say, and I know that believing in Jesus to most people today is … is…weird. I really felt it today.

Let me set the scene: I was sitting with my boss and a visiting Yoga expert from Vancouver in a trendy vegan restaurant The conversation shifts from the true spirit of Yoga – who’s selling out and who’s for ‘real’; the benefits of a sugar-less diet and, “Have you been…?”, “Did you see…?”, “Have you heard…?”. My 20-something work colleagues are munching on their gluten free, sugar free, macrobiotic salads –– and eventually I have to explain why I’m not eating.

“Janette, aren’t you going to have something?” – asked several times (lots of pre-banter but don’t want to write a novel)

“I’m fasting.”

“Oh are you doing a cleanse? You should really try one of their power fruit juices here…” I eventually explain that I’m doing it because I believe

in God… not god but The God – the Christian God (I can’t believe I have to qualify who God is!) I say this in a very fumbled way, and as I’m speaking, there’s a feeling in the air that I’m revealing some dark secret.

There are a few awkward silences on both our parts and in our brief exchange I know, I have offended them.

There are very few things I can claim to know in life, spiritual or practical but this is one truth that He has made mine; to serve is Christ. I must stop nit picking, analyzing, scrutinizing & agonizing about who I am and focus on more of Him and more of Him means to live love – to serve.

I’ve had similar moments with other co-workers and I’m always taken aback by their surprise and a little sad; sad because believing in God is so far from their minds and sad that the fact that I believe in God is a surprise. This always stings me. I struggle with it. What does it mean for me to be saved? What does my life look like? What should it look like?

In 2 Corinthians Paul was accused of being a false teacher, a con man; and he responds by saying that his actions and the character of the walk of those around him were his character witness.

Sometimes I get really down thinking about the difference between the two – the whole Peter on the beach where Christ says “Do you love (agape unconditional love) me Peter” and Peter continually answers ‘You know I love (phileo – brotherly love) you – breaks your heart, no? Well it has always pierced mine.

I know I fall short and sometimes it makes me give up but then I remember Jesus. Jesus did not accuse Peter on the beach; there was no inquest into his lack of faithfulness or love. Instead- how is this for grace – He tells Peter to feed His sheep.

‘You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is of the heart” 2 Cor 3: 2-3

How beautiful! Each one of us is a walking manifestation of the Word of God. Not only that, but we are each other’s epistles – as we minister to one another each one of us, each other’s testimony. I love this! I know I long for it - to know that others feel responsible for me; to know that Godly women ‘have my back’! It’s hard in an anti-God world and I need all the friends God will give me. I hope and pray that this is a new chapter for WOTR, for the Rock; one where we are joyfully, lovingly & openly working with God to help author one another’s lives.

Proverbs 27:19.

As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals man.

I left a job I really liked – I loved the team I worked with, loved the educational opportunities it provided, I was challenged and enjoyed the diverse patient population I had….I didn’t even mind getting up as early as 5:30 am some days for the commute. In fact, I can not recall waking up and dreading work or having that sinking feeling Sunday afternoon, knowing the next day I’d have to go to work (you know that feeling?). So why did I leave? Eddie and I knew we wanted to start a family and we needed a place that would not only offer great benefits for maternity leave but would also involve the specialized area of therapy I had been working in for the last 5 years. We began to diligently pray and God answered our prayers. I started my new job on February 6, 2006. On that day, I knew this would be a very ‘different’ work experience from any other I’ve had. Upon meeting the team I work with, I listened to them slander the person who was previously in my position followed by constant barrage of complaints

about the manager, support staff, program structure and very soon after, as expected, I watched them backstab each other on a daily basis. If there was something to complain about- anything at all- it was covered. Win some money on the 649? Let’s complain.

After one month of working there, for a number of reasons all due to stress, I had trouble sleeping, had regular nightmares waking up crying, gained 5 pounds and a patch of zits on my right cheek which has not gone away. It has been a constant uphill, pride-swallowing, self-constraining battle not to “become one of them” or to somehow bring shame to God’s name to people who don’t believe.

However, I recently realized something. Although I have kept up a clean slate on the outside, I certainly did not have a clean heart. With good intentions, I put all my energy into keeping my mouth shut at work but I’d still unleash it outside of work while at home with friends and family. I felt justified and liberated freeing my tongue, allowing all the sarcastic comments and criticisms to flow out. Then the next morning, I’d put on the happy mask again and go to work. Am I really any different from anyone else if I only complain and criticize after 5:00 pm in the privacy of my home?

James (3:8-10) describes the tongue as “an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” and that “with it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men” and “this ought not to be so”. In chapter 5 verses 7-11 he encourages us to “be patient”, and “establish our hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand”. He commands that we “do not grumble against one another, lest we be condemned”.

I ask the Lord to change my heart so that He can do His work through me because so far, I don’t know why I was placed at this job. I do know that as He changes me, I will one day understand. Strangely, I am grateful for this experience because I know my Father is teaching me something I will best learn by going through this. If you’re struggling with your tongue I encourage you to look at your heart because as we’ve heard, amazing things can happen in life when it is your heart that is open and obedient and waiting on the Lord.

We were living in California expecting our first child – a girl, and had no reason to believe she would be anything short of beautiful and healthy. She was beautiful. She wasn’t healthy. Kailey was born with a VSD – to put it simply, she had a hole in her heart. The position of her hole was of concern, which required semi-yearly follow-ups. For the next two years, her cardiologist repeatedly reassured us that surgery was not and would not be necessary.

It was around this time that we were faced with the possibility of relocating to Texas. Sim’s company was shifting some employees around, but the problem was that we loved living in California. We had recently re-dedicated our lives to Christ and were involved in amazing, Spirit-filled fellowship with members of our church. Our relationship with God was ever growing, powerful, real, raw and strong – life seemed perfect. I didn’t want it to change. God knew better.

Sim and I were struggling with the choice of whether to stay or move. Sim was offered another position within the company that wouldn’t require us to relocate, which made our decision more difficult. We were in constant prayer and meditation, seeking God’s will for us. The confusing part was that Sim and I both felt convicted – but we weren’t in agreement with each other. I felt absolutely certain that God was telling us to stay in Cali and Sim was equally convinced that God was leading us to Texas. How were we to follow Him when the directions were fuzzy? Then we had our breakthrough. One day during my daily devotion, I prayed for God’s will to be done, for discernment, and to clearly show me where he wanted us to live and I just “happened” to be on Ephesians 5. In Ephesians 5:22-30, God’s word says

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and

cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.

And on a different day, I “coincidentally and randomly” came across Colossians 3:18-19

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

These verses can be interpreted (and abused) in a few different ways, but I felt Spirit-led. He was leading me to give up the control I always had to have, to put more trust and faith in Him and in Sim, and finally to accept and be at peace knowing that He is answering my prayer: He was leading me to the path to be walked on…and it led to Texas.

As we settled in Austin, Kailey’s new cardiologist surprisingly recommended open-heart surgery. It couldn’t be! We immediately sought second and third opinions but they were all in consensus. In desperation, hoping that he would refute the others, we sought out the top-dog in the area – the chief pediatric cardiology surgeon at a world-renowned children’s hospital in Houston. Not only did he not refute the others, he noted that she needed to get this surgery soon. We were surprised when he told us he would perform the surgery himself. It was around this time that Sim and I realized one of God’s reasons for relocating our familyit was to meet this one man. The surgery was successful and when it was over the chief surgeon came out to tell us some surprising news. During the pre-op ultrasound, the hole in Kailey’s heart measured about 3-4 mm in diameter. This was deceiving because surrounding tissue was covering the true size of the hole, which was a 10x18 mm oval. The doctors were amazed that Kailey didn’t suffer any other damage to her heart (and overall health) and that’s when Sim and I had absolutely no doubt that God, our Healer, our great doctor, was sustaining Kailey all this time. He performed so many little miracles leading up to Kailey’s surgery, He answered our prayers, He loves and gives, He is the true comforter, He is in complete and utter control and worthy of all of our praise! How great and mighty is our king!

Julie Song

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus - Philippians 4:6

& 7

I am a worrywart, so this passage is both a challenge and a promise for me. In the past year, God demonstrated that He honours his promise of peace and hears my prayers when I turn to Him with a thankful heart.

My previous workplace went through rounds of layoffs due to a merger. I was thankful for our new house, but I needed my job to help pay for it! Thankfully, I was safe but my entire team was gone and my remaining boss was a toxic individual who made some bad decisions.

God had a plan for me but I needed faith and lots of peace. I kept repeating this passage over and over again almost everyday. Although my circumstance didn’t change instantly, God did give me peace and assurance as I needed it.

I continued praying for a new job, specifically to work with people who were open, supportive and more positive. He answered in a way I did not expect and I was offered a new job within months. Instead of a sullen, moody stressful boss, God’s blessed me with a friendly and supportive superior who’s developed a great relationship with me. Moreover, I’m surrounded by wonderful, kind and talented people on my creative team.

Only God could have known He would place me in this new job, even when layoffs were happening. Only God could have given me the peace I needed because He knows what His plan is. It makes me thankful that He’s working in my life preparing me for the future. I may not comprehend His plan at the time, but I can have peace in His promises knowing that He always fulfills His Word to us.

1 Samuel 3:10

Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"

And Samuel said, "Speak, for Your servant is listening."

The clock is ticking toward the midnight Nov. 30 leaving me just an hour and half to write anything to contribute to woman's testimony book. I feel sorry to do this last minute, not that I haven't been thinking about sharing my faith with you guys but I couldn't decide on which one.

God has been so gracious and so real to me, I couldn't pass this opportunity without saying what He has been doing in my life inspite of my inability to write or being busy (lazy).

Two days at Anne Graham's Conference was a big blessing to me, I loved everything there.

My dear daughter, Jamie went down with me Friday night after a long day at school, not knowing what to expect from such a conference and I wasn't going to ask her to come back Saturday morning if she didn't want to.

I can't forget the moment and feeling of holding my daughter's hand while we were walking toward the alter and kneeling down right beside her. Of course, we went back next morning with happy heart.

Coming home at the end of second day though, I had this indescribable feeling of loneliness or emptiness or even sadness. By the time we got home it was quite late and I felt so exhausted.

I have a habit of reading something before I go to bed so that night I

just grabbed My Utmost for His Highest because I wanted to wrap up my day with a simple message.

The message is dated Oct. 1 and it wasn't just a simple message. It was Almighty God speaking to me personally.

The message is titled as "The Place of Exaltation" bible verse Mark9;2 when Jesus took Peter, James and John up to a high mountain and showed them his transfiguration. Oswald Chambers was saying that God will never allow us to stay there. "True test of our spiritual life is in exhibiting the power to descend from the mountain. We are not made for the mountains- those are simply intended to be the moments of inspiration. We are made for the valley and the ordinary things of life, and that is where we have to prove our stamina and strength....."

I was totally overwhelmed in Spirit. I just kneeled down and praised Him. I remembered Samuel "Speak Lord, for Thy servant is listening" First Samuel 3:10. Another lesson I learned that night was I could have missed the precious encounter if I didn't open the book.

I've been going through very difficult times and is still going on. I understand what valley means and how low it could be. But I know He is with me all the way through and if I focus in Truth, nothing else matters

Leslie Kim

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing”

I know that the title of my little blurb says “Resting in the Lord” and that doesn’t seem to coincide with the quoted verse above, but read a little further, and hopefully you’ll get what I mean.

Ever since I started university, I have had a difficult time falling (and staying) asleep. Typically, I end up going to bed very late, and even though I might be completely exhausted, it takes an inordinate amount of time after I’ve settled into bed for me to actually doze off (if I even get to that point at all!).

I’ve tried everything to combat my insomnia: warm milk, reading, watching tv, hot baths and showers, jumping jacks, yoga, counting sheep, counting numbers (I once got to a million – I was inspired by my nephew, Josh), cutting out caffeine, a glass of wine…just to name a few. (Note: You may have noticed that I did not mention sleeping pills as one of my possible solutions – I would rather not resort to chemically-induced sleep; I am hesitant to believe it is a healthy, long-term solution). As you can imagine, I have gotten quite frustrated with the long, restless nights, and subsequent googley-eyed, “I-have-a-rock-in-my-head” days from the incessant lack of sleep. So, I gave up trying to ‘do’ anything about it.

So, I just began to lie on my back, and stare at the ceiling above me. As I lay there, my mind naturally turned towards all the ‘issues’ I had in my life, whether it was difficulties or uncertainties regarding work, family, finances, or struggles other people in my life were going through. Most of the things that were coming up in my mind were things I really had no control over.

Here is the answer. It occurred to me while I was lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, that I could

“Resting in the Lord”…literally.

continue my daily conversation with Him, and release all my concerns and issues up to Him. I don’t know why I didn’t do it before – I think I was pre-occupied with the foreknowledge that a long and restless night was ahead. But, lo and behold, guess what began happening? I started falling asleep in the middle of my prayer! It was a miracle! But even then, there were times when I would finish praying, and still not be able to fall asleep. So, then what? I don’t know how it began, but I started to just to sing whatever praise song that came to mind first, and in middle of my song, I would fall asleep. Sometimes it would take several songs, but eventually, I would drift off. The curious thing was that when I woke up in the morning, I would be all groggy and sleepy-eyed, brushing my teeth or stepping into the shower, and I would still have a song of praise for the Lord in my heart, and on my lips. It’s not as though I had purposefully began considering God immediately upon awakening. Instead, my first thought was usually that it seemed too dark for 7 o’clock in the morning and that I really wanted to crawl back into bed. But even in the midst of these thoughts, the song pervaded throughout my mind, and my day would begin. To be honest, it was a bit of a funny feeling since it was almost as though I didn’t have complete control over my mind - my thoughts would simply keep turning back to the praise song. So, I suppose because I was conversing with God or lifting praises to Him in song the moment I fell asleep, and still singing a song the moment I woke up, I was effectively “praying without ceasing” in my sleep.

In conclusion, I think one of the reasons the Lord would like us to “pray without ceasing” is because in doing so, we get true rest in all of life’s activities, not just for SLEEP. If you ever have a hard time sleeping, I suggest starting off by talking to God – I don’t think it has to be very formal, but as though you’re speaking what’s on your mind to one of your friends. And if that doesn’t work, try singing a praise song. The best part is that you wake up in the morning with the joy of the Lord still in your heart.

Liz Ryu-Christianson

Philippians 2:13-14

for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining or disputing.

The other day I had the opportunity to talk to my mom about how my life has changed much since the arrival of Luke. We talked about how hard the labour and delivery was and also the transition home. I shared how I sometimes feel as though I failed because I didn’t have a “normal” labour and that I eventually had a c-section. I also told her how I was so sad that I nursed Luke for less than 3 months.

said that the bullet went straight through his lungs and heart and that he did not even bleed out of the wound. My mom is thankful for that. She is thankful that my dad was taken so that he could be with Jesus resting and not working long hours at the convenience store.

She said that I should always be thankful no matter the situation knowing that the Lord has a perfect plan for me. My mom explained that she too went through heartache when my dad died. After some time and through God’s grace she is thankful for his death.

The police told my mom that my dad was taken quickly and that he did not suffer. In fact, they were stunned that there was no blood from the gunshot wound that killed him. The investigators

I sat there quietly taking this all in because I was amazed that she could be thankful. I remember hearing the news of how my dad died and all I wanted to do was find the teens that killed him and do physical damage to them. I remember being angry. And here was my mom explaining that she was thankful for the way my dad died. I realize that only God can change a person’s heart the way he did my mom’s.

She told me to be thankful during all circumstance because God has placed them in my life and it is my call to accept it with a heart of thanks. No matter how bleak things may seem or look God has made it that way for our good and for His perfect will. Look forward to the future is what she said and place your hope in the Lord because He is good and perfect and so are His plans for you.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

In small group, we were discussing how easy it is to get down about our daily routine. Sometimes my days go by so quickly without any big accomplishments and I feel so insignificant, but we really never know when or how God will use us for His purpose.

I wanted to share about a time where God used three women that played a huge role in my life. They were pretty much a turning point for me, from being lost to being born again.

I had grown up in the Catholic church, but had rejected that religion. My life was pretty empty, and my future felt very hopeless and terrifying.

My first year at U of T, I lived at New Collage. I became good friends with my three neighbours: Tara Bak, Anne Lee and Lynn Tan. Living together, we all became quite close. These girls were like me in almost every way, but it was pretty soon that I learned that there was one major difference between us. These girls went to church, these girls read the Bible, these girls loved the Lord! They fascinated me, because I really hadn’t met any true Christians before. It was amazing to see how God was so important in their lives, yet they were still just normal people!!!

I remember one night we were hanging out in Tara’s room. Tara and Anne were talking about church, and I asked them, “If you

died today, would you know for sure that you would go to heaven?”. Their answer was yes. Now, I’m sure they did not know that at that moment, a life-changing, path-altering event had just occurred for me, but it did! Their answer had a huge impact on me! I hungered for the certainty and confidence that they had. I was looking for hope, and basically through example, they showed me where to find it. Not long afterwards, I found myself at a service with an alter call, and I gave my life to the Lord.

God has a great plan for all of us, and we never know when or how it will happen. I try to remember that when I’m washing my third load of dishes for the day! I thank God that He brought Tara, Anne and Lynn into my life, and I look forward to Him using me for His glory!

I also wanted to thank all the ladies at the Rock. Every Sunday you all inspire me to be a better Christian/mother/wife. Thank you for being such great examples for me!

God bless all of you! Merry Christmas!

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.”

Soojin Do

So, when we were asked to write a testimony i thought to myself...what am i going to write about?!?...do i write about how i was saved....work....family....I thought about it...and started thinking of how when one of us finds a really good restaurant, or a really good sale, we always share it with our friends so that they too can enjoy. So why am I sooooo hesitant to share about my faith?!

Immediately a song came into my head ....Pass It On. Remember that song from back in the day....

It only takes a spark, to get a fire going. And soon all those around, will warm up to its glowing That's how it is with God's love, Once you've experienced it....You spread His love, to everyone, you want to pass it on........

SO guys, this is the biggest and best sale ever!!! you don't have to pay a cent!

God is so faithful.

Some of you know that i have had a hard time at work. I have totally been tested!

Just to give you an idea.....i start work at 8:30am and often don't leave till 8pm...sometimes later. I watch my peers pick up and leave at 4:30 pm and this angers me.

Especially when those peers do nothing all day but chit-chat on the phone with their personal calls. Don't even get me started!

I like my job...but i don't like some of the peeps i work with. one in particular..and one day I just couldn't take it anymore!! I've worked with this person for about 5 years and up until the past couple of years we were great. She's not someone that i reported to but someone that i had to work closely with.

About 3 weeks prior to this day, there was an email that was passed around from another department saying that there was a position available. This position was a higher position with more responsibility. I wasn't going to apply...didn't even think of leaving my job cuz like i said, i like my job. But this one day i just had enough- of course the above mentioned person is not the sole cause of me looking for another job but she played a big part. This day happened to be the last day of the job posting. I emailed the hiring manager directly to ask if i could talk to her about the job. She ended up calling me to say that they had already started the interview process but that she would speak to me, so we set up a time to meet.

There were about 7 people that were in the running, who had gone through the whole string of interviews and in the end she wanted

to hire me even though i didn't quite have all the qualifications or the experience...and i only had to go through 1 interview (yay!!) and...she was willing to wait almost 3 months for me to come over ( my current job couldn't release me till Dec 1st) even though she needed the position to be filled asap.

I KNOW that i wouldn't have gotten this position without GOD. He has totally blessed me and has been so faithful even though there are soooo many times that I fail!

During the times where i was tested, i remembered that I am working for GOD not my employer. I took on Phil 2: 3-4, 14-15 as my motto

.......do nothing from selfishness, to or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard let each of you regard one another as more important that himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others....to do all things without grumbling or disputing that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reporach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.

Also wanted to add the a verse that helps when you feel defeated....

“And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places And give strength to your bones

And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” - Is 58:11

So gals......PASS IT ON!

Dear Sisters of the Rock,

My biggest testimony to you is that I have been born again as a Christian and have encountered Jesus Christ as my personal savior and that I have promised to give my life to him.

My story begins when I was sailing the spiritual sea for the longest time. Not like my name suggests, which means pleasant or gentle ocean in Korean, Life in reality is not always pleasant and certainly I felt like I was wondering through a dark stormy sea. For years I have been fighting against the wind, taking directions that I only wanted to take and trying to avoid any dangers and hassles that laid in my path, only to leave me so weary and tired that I was all torn apart and did not know which way to go anymore or what else to do. I was helpless…

Jesus is my wind. He takes me to different places in my spiritual life and when I give my trust completely to Him, I don’t have to fight back anymore and I drift wherever He takes me.

Then one day the Holy Spirit spoke to me saying that I had to stop being in control and navigating my own way. I had to just let it go and give my trust to the wind to guide me and lead me. It was the surrendering of my will that I got to trust fully of God. I made free of myself and I felt like I was born again. I can say now that I am not as afraid as I used to of what my life awaits ahead. I know that there will be times, and plenty for sure, that will be rough and unpleasant, but at least now I know for sure that I will be going where God’s will is and He will take care of me no matter what happens.

In the process of realizing all this, I had so much encouragement from my peers at Rock church that I will never forget their prayers and dedications. When I look back from the time I arrived at Rock church and now, I have to be honest and say that I had rough times and struggles. I see now that it was the will of God to show me that I shall not wonder anymore and should stay in Rock church.

“ You have shown me more kindness at the end than the beginning “ and this is one of the passage in Ruth ch. 3. v. 10 that I would like to share with you all today. Because of your kindness you showed me when I returned to church, I was melted away by the love of God that He truly is kind and generous and took care of such a lost and weary lamb like me. He truly shows more kindness at the end than the beginning and God has worked through you to show me that. God bless you and have faith in His journey and will that He is going to take you through the mist and storms of your lives. Bon voyage to you all.

16.1 Tammy Kim

Romans 12:1-2

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

For me, working out has never been a lifestyle. Besides organized sports, I have always worked out for one goal, and one goal only: To lose weight. But then what? When I would reach my goal, I would usually stop. There was no consistency to my fitness routine.

As soon as I had weaned Taylor, I was eager to lose all the weight I had gained during my pregnancy. And it was a lot. I’m talking over 40 pounds! Even the breast-feeding couldn’t get the weight off! And I wanted to see results. The only problem was, the weight wasn’t coming off as fast as I had hoped.

So I went on the boFlex diet, which is really extreme in the sense that it takes minimal effort, but guarantees maximum results. I didn’t mind, since it seemed to work for me before, until I consulted with Eddie. He has his certification as a personal trainer, and when I told him what my diet consisted of, he wasn’t impressed. He was able to convince me that I may get instant results, but there wouldn’t be any long-term benefits. So he started me on a more realistic program that includes working out 3x a week, & a healthy diet. So simple, yet so hard…

consistent with something when you see instant results, but it’s hard to keep doing something when you don’t know if it’s making any difference.

And that’s when God made me realize that it’s not the results that matter, but how you get there that counts. And the only thing that counts in this life is our being faithful and acceptable to God.

I now have a healthier view of working out. I no longer see it as a goal, but as a lifestyle. And I hope it serves as a model in my life for being disciplined in having some consistent quiet time with the Lord, and in serving others. As Oswald Chambers says, “It’s easier to be a fanatic than a faithful soul”…or as Sung put it once: “A daily devotion is more important than a dramatic devotion.”

Romans 12:10-12

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer.

So I started the program… and things were good, and fun at first, but, as I had imagined, things started to get grueling and hard. The problem was the consistency and the discipline. It’s not hard to be

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

"These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up".

Our small group is studying a book on parenting titled Shepherding A Child’s Heart, that is based on Christian principles and the Word, and this is just one of the many lessons I have learned through it...

The day started off fine... we were all headed to the mall to go to Rachel's favorite store, PJ's Pet Shop. However, on the way there, Rich and I got into a fight. Rich didn't seem focused on his driving, and I thought we were close to getting into an accident. Instead of being thankful for not getting into an accident, I got mad at Rich for his "careless driving". Well, Rachel started crying, and then Taylor started crying, I was getting more and more angry, and Rich seemed frustrated...(it was not a scene that reflected our family verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks...") Needless to say, we did not end up at PJ's... we turned the car around and went back home. In my mind, I thought I was right, and so I was trying to calm them down and appeal to Rachel's sense of reason by trying to make her understand why mommy was so mad at dad. Well, Rachel didn't seem to care about who was right or wrong. The only thing she cared about at that moment, was that I was upset at dad. I kept asking her

why she was crying, and she kept saying it was because I was angry at dad...

At home, we had lunch in silence, and went about our day. I even forgot all about the argument until I was putting Rachel to bed that night.

I was pretending to be a character in one of her favorite books; “Miss Nelson Is Missing”, the always courteous and super-nice Miss Nelson. Well, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the book, to sum up, Miss Nelson is unable to control her classroom, so Miss Viola Swamp shows up one day and puts the children to work. Miss Nelson is kind, and Miss Viola Swamp is mean. (They are both the same person... It's just Miss Nelson in disguise).

At that moment, my heart sank. I couldn't believe her response! I was so sad... I tried not to seem surprised by her answer, and eventually got her to confide in me... and I got a glimpse of what she had hidden in her heart.

Anyways, I was talking to her in my kind, Miss Nelson voice, when I asked her about her day. Embarrassingly, she brought up "the fight" and how it made her feel. (Thank goodness I wasn't her REAL teacher!) And since she brought up how I was angry at her dad, I tried explaining to her again, (but this time as Miss Nelson), why her mom would respond like that. With her eyes glazing over, she just turned to me and said "I like you better". Surprised by her answer, I responded in my kind Miss Nelson voice; "Why, Rachel? Don't you know how much your mommy loves you?"

And then I remembered something that I had learned in my small group... Too often, as parents, we are so busy that we end up talking TO our children and not WITH them. In Deut 6:6-7, God commands that we have to teach them diligently as we go about our day. In other words, it's not in just in telliing them, but in living it as well. It has to be real in my life in order for her to trust and believe what I teach her.

Proverbs 20:5 says, "The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out." Instead of trying to understand the situation from Rachel's point-of-view, I was only concerned with explaining my point-of-view....

She thought about it for a second, and said, "yeah, but.... you're ALWAYS nice…. Sometimes my mom is nice, and sometimes she's not nice".

That night, I turned to Rachel as her mom, and asked for her forgiveness. Rachel responded by saying: "Say sorry to dad"... and "Say sorry to God, too, mom"... and that’s exactly what I did.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)

Tina Choe

Have you ever felt stretched? I mean, really stretched almost beyond your limits? My mind flies back to around four years ago where I was in the midst of the most difficult time in my life. The term, “when it rains, it pours” became very real to me during those moments, because the storms came one after the other with seemingly no end in sight.

During that time, I watched my father hover near death from three simultaneous strokes. I had just emerged from a painful break-up. I lost my job when finances were at my lowest. Then, one of my sisters whom we had not seen or heard from in three years due to a family fallout, showed up out of the blue one day, pregnant and fleeing from an abusive relationship.

It sounds strange to say this, but when I look back upon that time my heart is nothing but thankful. As bitter as trials may get, those are the times that can be most precious to a believer. It wasn’t so much the circumstances going on. For me, the biggest battle was a very personal one in my heart.

We are completely selfish creatures. It’s innate and we demonstrate this sin the minute we are born. And what I’ve found is that wounded and afflicted people are usually the most selfish. It sounds harsh, but I find it to be true in most cases---such as mine! All I cared about was that the trials would end. I wanted things to turn out differently. And how I battled with the Lord, beseeching Him to answer my prayers the way I wanted!

Submission is one of the most humble characteristics of a believer, yet it can be one of the hardest things to demonstrate. With me, as much as I told God that I would follow, trust and obey Him, deep inside there were certain things I could not bring myself to relinquish, for fear it would lead to more pain. I kept them stubbornly tucked away until a crisis point came one December evening where I was alone in my room at my wits end. I knew all along that God doesn’t require half your heart or half of your life. He requires it all. And despite that knowledge, I had still held back some of the things He desired me to give.

I specifically remember that moment because it’s burned in my brain forever. I finally relinquished those deep things in my heart. And I finally prayed the prayer I was so afraid to pray before-----that whatever He desired to do with my life, may His will be done, even if it led to more pain, more hardship, more struggle. And no matter what happened, no matter what the cost, I would trust in Him and know that whatever befalls me, His grace would be more than sufficient..

The peace that came into my life soon after, was nothing like I experienced before. Long story short, as some of you may know, my father has fully recovered. I’m getting married in February. I have a new job I love. My sister has returned to the family and we are working towards mending our relationship.

I don’t want to be misunderstood here. I’m not saying it was only because I prayed that prayer of surrender that the Lord brought about those blessings. Nor was it because I had this “great faith.” One must beware of the dangers of legalism. The result for some people who pray that prayer could turn out very differently. They may go through worse situations, and it could take weeks, months, even years for the Lord to answer. The truth is, despite the many possible reasons, in the end I don’t know why the Lord allowed all those things to happen to me. And I can’t say for sure why He chose to bless me so soon afterwards. But instead of the “why’s” I instead choose to trust, that in His infinite wisdom, He had his reasons. And I can only testify on what that experience brought about. And what I found is that the road to following Jesus, really leads towards the cross. So narrow is the path to salvation and embarking on that journey can be painful. I realized that if I truly loved the Lord, than I would have to follow Him at any cost. You desire His will for your life even if it’s very different from what you wanted or perceived.

I also say to my friends that if I had never gone through hard times, if I always got everything my way and never struggled with hurt, pain and loneliness, I shudder to think at the kind of person I would have become. The thought to me is absolutely frightening. I can’t imagine the ruin and destruction it would have brought. So I give thanks, that through trials, He saved me from that terrible price. And His mercy and grace still shines through in my life today.

Thank you to all of our contributors…

May you continue to grow in the love and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we share the hope of salvation and truth.

- WOTR (Tina, Janette, & Tammy)

“May the words of [our] mouth[s] and the meditation of my heart[s] be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Psalm 19:14

“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

"So teach us to number our days, That we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom."

Psalm 90:12

“It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23

If you are interested in joining a women’s small group, please contact us at: wotr@rockcommunity.org