I. From a cute only son to a Mongol missionary
I was born on Oct 6th, 1968. I came from a line of only sons and was the fourth only son to be born and I was loved so much by all. I waited for people’s praise in whatever I did, otherwise I was not happy.
I was accepted to Dongkuk University. Though I hesitated to attend this school and wanted to try a better school next year, my dad encouraged me to go and study hard. I accepted it and wanted to study hard and be a famous professor like Dr. Yang Ju-Dong.
• God’s precious child
While trying to find the meaning of my college life in the midst of many drinking parties, I was invited to Bible study by Sh. Eun-Kyung Lim of Namsan center. Through 1:1 Bible study I found myself and gradually realized the redeeming love of Jesus. I received God’s word “Young man, get up! (Luke 7:14)” at the Easter conference. I confessed that I was a sinner sitting in the shadow of death and accepted Jesus as my Savior through God’s word, “The Rising Sun (Luke 1:78,79).” I realized that I did not exist to laugh and cry according to people’s praise, but God’s child bought by the blood of Jesus. My life had purpose in Creator God.
• To live as God’s people
God helped me to keep the Sunday worship over anything, especially over family matters, which made my father upset. God then helped me to choose campus gospel work over academic success in research under a great professor. I shared my testimony to offer myself to God’s work more than to fulfill my dream. Then Sh Daniel Lee gave me God’s word form Hebrews 11:24-26 as my life key verse. I chose my identity as God’s people over the world’s glory and sought God’s reward over the reward of the world based on Hebrews 11:24-26.
I wanted to go to Moscow as a missionary at first, but God blocked it by a coup d'état the week I bought my airline ticket. Then, by God’s provision I was sent as a missionary to Mongolia on Jan 12, 1992 at the age of 24. About 150 UBF co-workers came to the airport to see me off. I arrived in Mongolia through Hong Kong and Beijing since there was no direct line at that time.
II. My missionary life in Mongolia
When I arrived in Mongolia, it was very cold. M. Matthew told me that it would be negative 30 degrees Celsius, which was colder than a freezer. At the dormitory, M. Matthew and I had an altar of prayer daily at 6:00 am to pray for Mongolia to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation and for the freedom to preach the gospel. After breakfast I went to a language course at Mongol National University all day long. The “l” sound was hard to pronounce, though Mongolian was pretty close to Korean in grammar. Our missionaries studied the Mongol language very hard at that time. Our UBF missionaries are still well-known for their fluent Mongol language in the Korean community and served as Mongol language interpreters for the president, cabinet members, and mayors of the Korean government. Praise God who provided us food to eat living in this cold land and blessed us in our language studies to preach the gospel freely.
• Campus disciple-raising and translation of the Bible
At first we had Sunday messages in English, but all three attendants didn’t know English, so we began having Mongol messages from Easter 1992. We had 1:1 Bible studies first with students majoring in Korean. The number of students increased year after year-21 at Easter 1993, 33 at the 1994 summer conference, then 70 at the 1997 Easter conference. At present, we have about 200 1:1 students and Sunday worship attendants in both Mongol UBF I & II.
We translated Genesis passages weekly and studied the Bible with this newly translated Genesis and prepared Sunday messages on it. We also translated hundreds of hymn songs. Later, we translated the book of Daniel and published it.
Jesus said to his disciples, “You give them something to eat.” We didn’t know the Mongol language, the Mongolian Bible was written poorly and there were no Mongol hymn books for us. However, we wanted to obey Jesus’ words, “You give them something to eat.” When we wanted to give something to them, we learned their language and also jumped into such a difficult task of translation work. The word of Jesus made many impossible things possible for us as we wanted to fulfill Mongol mission.
• To be a professor missionary at Mongol National University
On June 1992 as I finished my language course and began graduate school as a Mongol language major in September, I was hired to teach Korean art at the National University. I could invite some college students to Bible study, but the school had a debate over whether they should give a job to a person who has a foreign student ID and decided not to give it. My desire to serve campus mission with the identity as a professor looked impossible.
At that time, God gave me his word from Genesis 15:5, “He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars-if indeed you can count them.’” Through this word, I learned that God’s great plan for me was the same and I could have a vision to deliver many Mongol students in the future. My prayer topic became clear too. I prayed earnestly for God to raise me as a professor shepherd for Mongol National University evangelization. God answered my prayers and they hired me as a full-time lecturer in Mongol National University.
After 15 years of teaching in the best national university, I have had many students. They became great leaders of the nation. Especially, three Korean department chairs of three main universities are all my former students. Thank God who blessed me to offer the prime time of my youth (20s, 30s) for Mongol campus ministry. In Korea, I wanted to be praised by others and barely kept my own faith, but God sent me to a desert-like land of Mongolia. Here he molded me to work with passion and to grow to be a man who could overcome many challenges. God made me a blessing to bless Mongol students. May God help me to be a blessing and father of Mongol students continually, instead of seeking my own glory and achievement.
• Self-supporting missionary life
My income was 200 dollars a month, even though I work as a Korean department professor at Mongol National University. Sometimes I worked as a tour guide or as an interpreter. Sometimes we received help from both my parents and my wife’s parents and the Namsan center. While students lived with us (1-3), we had a desire to pioneer one new chapter. Therefore I prayed, “God, if you want me to pioneer a new chapter, open the way of self-supporting.”
Then a miracle happened. I met a businessman whom I interpreted for before and his brother. His brother was looking for someone who could be in charge of selling food products like mayonnaise, Choco-pie and Shin Ramyun to Mongol markets. With this work, I began to pioneer Mongol II. I didn’t know anything about business and I had to deliver mayo boxes all over the market. Once I avoided one Korean who was shopping with his driver while I delivered Mayo boxes. Then I remembered many suffering UBF self-supporting missionaries who serve Jesus in confidence in midst of all shame and mockery. I repented of my desire to live a noble life reading, doing research and collecting antiques for myself. For Jesus and his sheep, I decided to do anything if it is beneficial for them. God blessed our business. In 2 years, Heinz mayonnaise dominated all Mongol markets. The company had 25 employees and 3,000,000 dollars of income a year.
By being self-supporting, we could invite M. Yu-shin Kim as our worker. After 7 years, we had a crisis and had to quit everything. But when I prayed holding the word of God from Exodus, God sent one investor. In 2005, we could sell 40 containers of mayonnaise and we added tuna and other Nongshim products. Then we provided fresh fish from China and kimchi and spices for Korean restaurants. Though I was weak, when I wanted to do self-supporting in order to serve Mongol students, God provided all things according to the promise of Mt 6:33.
Though I was busy preparing my lectures for campus teaching and Sunday messages and helping sheep, God provided wisdom to do business, faithful co-workers and victory in market competition. Praise God!
When I wanted to help sheep with the gospel only, many sheep left along with others and I had pain. But through the 2001 International conference, Dr. Samuel Lee emphasized Exodus 19:6 and Isaiah 2:3, that all college students may become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. I accepted Exodus 19:6 and renewed hope for Mongolia to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Also, God gave me his word from John 12:24 through Easter 2004. At that time, Mother Barry came and gave us a message, “A kernel of wheat” (Jn 12:24) and told us how great and beautiful it is to offer our lives fully to the Lord. Many made decisions of faith to offer their lives through this message and God established 3 families of God on May 26, 2004. In spite of my fear, God kept his work as the apple of his eye. We pray for our ministry to double by 2010 and raise 1000 shepherds by 2031.
• The beautiful co-working ministry of Mongolia
Thank God for my wife, M Esther Kwon who is a mother of prayer and a good disciple-trainer for Mongol campus mission. Thank God for granting us children, Paul and Hannah.
Thank God for the wonderful co-working among Mongol missionaries-M. Matthew Lim, M. Jonathan Lee, M. Yu Shin Kim, and M. Aquila and M Josephine Shin.
• New vision
After 16 years of missionary life in Mongolia, I conclude with a direction from Genesis 17:5,6,
“No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you every fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.” May God raise 1000 Mongol Bible teachers that they may go around to preach the gospel to all Mongolia, Siberia, the west-north area of China and the whole world as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Prayer topics
1. Weekly Sunday message delivery
2. Korean lecture and business
3. Gospel-centered discipleship ministry
4. Raising 1000 Bible teachers by 2031
5. Fulfill God’s vision to raise fathers of faith and kings among Mongol people and raise them to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation
