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Key verses: Philippians 4:12,13 “I know / what it is to be in need, and I know / what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

    I was born into a very poor family. My parents worked at a stall in the market. Around when I entered Elementary school, my father started to gamble. Sometimes he would drag my mother around by her hair. I could not forgive my father and I thought / it would be better if he did not exist. In middle school, I became the target of the “Iljin,” a Korean school gang. They named themselves the “Hyeol-jeon” group, which means to fight to the death. One day, I saw them take money from a weaker student, and I shouted at them to stop bullying him. They came to me and punched me in the face, threw around chairs and behaved violently. After this incident, they frequently dragged me to the bathroom, beat me and threatened me. I was so afraid of them that I never thought of reporting them. They got other classmates to ostracize and bully me. After school, they would frequently take me to an alley nearby and beat me until I was covered with bruises. About a year of this made me develop social phobia and depression. I had to receive psychiatric treatment. The psychiatrist who treated me said my condition was so serious that I could not hope to be cured. I could not forgive the kids who had made my life miserable in this way. I was so filled with hatred and anger that I failed my college entrance exams. However, I was driven to study hard / by a deep-seated revenge / toward those who had caused my misery. 

    After retaking the college entrance exams twice, I was admitted to SNU, Seoul National University, one of the best university in Korea like a Harvard university in USA. I wanted to transform myself and start a fresh new college life at SNU. With the money I earned through private tutoring, I bought expensive clothes and got the latest hairstyle. I joined a hip-hop dance club called “HIS” and learned how to breakdance to look good in front of the girls.

    I expected that my mental disease can be healed through these kind of things. But against my expectation, I was still dark and depressed inside. Gradually, I lost a hope to be healed and became a recluse and outsider. There was nowhere else for me to go. This thought filled me with despair and made me not want to live anymore. I knocked back cans of beer, crying alone in my dark dormitory room. I dimly recalled a childhood friend who talked about God, and I prayed desperately like a man reaching for the faintest hope, “God, if you are there, please help me.” God heard my prayer and led me to one to one bible study through one UBF shepherd. At the Summer Bible Conference in 2003, I met Jesus on the cross. At first, I thought Jesus shared many things in common with me. I could relate to Jesus, who was an innocent man tortured unjustly. I thought Jesus would be able to understand my pain. Then I heard Jesus’ voice on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” and accepted Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God who was crucified for me. I always thought that I was alone, but I realized that Jesus had always been with me, even in my torment and when I was being kicked and beaten. Most importantly, I realized that he loved me enough to give his life for me. Then I realized / what a great sinner I am. I realized my sin of how insignificantly I had treated my life and wanted to die, as well as of my hatred and resentment toward my father and my friends. In front of Jesus, I confessed all my sins of lust and pride with tears of repentance. Amazingly, the cross worked powerfully in my heart. The darkness in my heart was swept away, and in its place was certainty of my salvation, inexpressible joy and peace. I was crying so much at this time that I thought there was an electrical blackout. I cried so much that people around me told me to stop crying. I thank God and praise Jesus for thinking of a sinner like me, for his great grace of redeeming and saving me with his blood.

    After the conference, my life was completely changed. I had never spoken to my father for a long time. But I called him and asked him for forgiveness. My father was so moved that our broken relationship was completely restored. We even played sports together and became good friends. My father also began going to church from last year. And amazingly, I was cured of the depression which my doctor had told me would never be cured. I used to be afraid of approaching other people, but now I greeted everyone I met / with great joy sharing Jesus Christ. During my military service, military officers talked to me about their problems. I counseled them and many soldiers through God’s word. I shared the gospel with them, and many soldiers accepted Jesus as their Savior. 

    After my military service, God used me to share the cross of Jesus with many campus student. While taking care of many student with God’s word, I was filled with joy as if I had gained the whole world. I realized that serving person with bible is most precious and joyful work in human life. At that time, God gave me one word, Matthew 6:33 ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ Based on this promise, I decided to give my young life to God first. I had tried to give my top priority on God’s work. I attended every Sunday worship service and every bible study meeting. And I prepared bible study material first to deliver to campus student with all my strength, even though there was important exam or experiment. Sometime I visited student to study bible in long distant place. In our lab, many senior researcher did not understand my behavior and blamed me. One of them said to me if you keep spending your time too much for church like now, you will fail on research. Actually I had no paper at all for a three years. So my faith was shaken. There is no one I can rely on around me. So I invoked God’s mercy. Whenever I arrived in school, I always prayed before starting the day. I also prayed earnestly in the bathroom before beginning any important lab experiment. 

    When one day, a miracle happened. During the worship service, God gave me an idea. The message on that day was on Genesis. While listening to the message, I felt very strongly that I should study the nature God has created rather than depending on my own limited wisdom. After this, while searching through journals, by chance I came across a biological study on the sensory organs of spiders. I made a sensor based on this study. Within just two weeks, this study gained a “world best” standard reception. The thesis based on this study was published in the Nature, one of top journal in the world. Following this, my thesis gained reception in major daily newspapers and the news New York Times, BBC news. Science Mag, Cell, and so on. God granted me success and victory beyond my skill and imagination. I render all the glory to him. 

    At that time, I vowed to God, saying, “If you make me an SNU Professor shepherd, I will go out as a missionary to Africa.” God has answered my prayer and gradually opened a way. 2014, God helped me to graduate and he has led me to Post doctorate studies in USA, 

    Starting the new job in USA, I was so anxious of my future because I am not good at English and not familiar to new culture. I have no way without praying to God and relying on him. So firstly, I tried to obey his word. I meditated daily bread in the morning day by day and began to deliver God’s word to other people. Some Chinese and Korean student in our group accepted my invitation. So we had bible study every week in a conference room. Secondly I tried to attend Sunday worship service sincerely, 4 hour round trip by car was not easy for me because my supervisor is so harsh that all researchers in lab. have to work hard even on weekend. But I decided to give the time to God by faith. Professor gave me a scolding frequently to begin with. My heart was so broken. So I often cried alone and prayed to God with weeping. Lord please help me, I have no power to overcome this circumstance. I have no wisdom. Without your help, I cannot to do anything. Gracious God answered tenuous my prayer and gave me a strength to endure this time. As time goes by, Lord make me fruitful in a research. He gave me a good result little by little. And Professor and colleagues began to recognize my research. I submitted a paper to top tier journal in a short period of time ahead of other colleague. Additionally, He helped me to get a job in Korea. I confess all of this came from God. 100 %. I remember my past. In the past, I lived a life of depression and I did not want to live. I had no hope. But God saved me from the miserable sin and death and gave me a wonderful blessing. I thank God for his amazing grace. I render all the glory to him.

    Now I am facing totally different environment in Korea. So I feel fear about it. But God gave me one most appropriate word for me through your servant pastor David. “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” Relying on this word, I pray that I can stand firm onto a foundation of truth and deliver God’s word to those who are wondering in campus. Concretely I will sincerely meditate God’s word every day and make my office bible camp on a campus. I will take care of your sheep first. Lord, please protect me and guide me according to your will. Through my short life, I want to let your name be glorified.

    One words: I can do everything through him