New York Shalom House of Prayer

In the fall of 1991, my younger sister, who was working, could no longer find anyone to watch her only child, so she asked me. I already had two children of my own, and she lived in Jayang-dong north of the river while I lived in Yeoksam-dong in Gangnam — very far apart — but I was the one who had to care for her son, Solje.

Each morning I would take him from her at Gangnam Station, and each evening I would hand him back at the station. Eventually we began to think about moving to her neighborhood for Solje’s sake.

It was a heavy decision: my husband’s commute would grow much longer, our children would leave their friends, and we would have to start over in a new church small group. But above all, my sister did not yet believe in Yeshua, so we saw this as an opportunity and decided to go.

In Jayang-dong, all I seemed to do was care for children and pray, and pray again. I had committed myself to missions in my senior year of college, yet I felt buried among children. My work seemed meaningless and endless, and many days I could not understand why my life had turned out this way.

But in the new small group I met our leader, Elder Kim. Every time we met, he spoke about Israel. One day, meditating on “the least of these my brethren” in Matthew 25, I wondered who “my brethren” were. I looked it up in a commentary, and it said these brethren are most likely Yeshua’s brothers, the Jewish people.

From then on, God began to open our eyes to Israel, and with Elder Kim, his wife and a few others, an Israel prayer meeting began. My husband, who had never been interested in missions, became interested through Israel, and little by little we began to train.

Then, in 1998, we left as missionaries to Israel. I had cared for Solje for seven years before we left, and during that time we received our calling as missionaries — the work of our lives. While we were in Israel, my sister received Yeshua, and today she prays faithfully for her family’s salvation. How thankful we are!

When things we cannot understand keep happening, it seems to be evidence that we are held in God’s hand. As our faith grows, we come to understand and praise His wonderful plan. I learned that loving God and teaching our children is a parent’s very first calling, and then come missions and service. God leaves nothing out. He plans and carries out all things, and in the end works all things together for good.