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Moscow UBF, Russia

July 23, 2013

Hello my name is Paul Choi. I would like to testify through my life testimony how has God worked in me. First of all I would like to tell you a little bit about my background. Our family consists of my parents, me and my younger brother Peter. My dad is doing a textile business for living and my mom stays at home. They were one of the first missionaries to Irkutsk(1992), then Omsk, and now they are serving God in Moscow State University, Moscow. My dad is not a typical Korean father. He likes to talk, very sensitive to fashion, trend and likes to buy stuff. My mom is a typical Korean housewife. My brother doesn’t really like to study, but he’s really good at computer games. But generally my family is a typical missionary family. I was born in Irkutsk 1995 October 1^st. Then my parents moved to Omsk and there my brother was born. I don’t really remember anything, but my parents told me that it was really cold there. Because Irkutsk and Omsk are the cities of Siberia, and in winter the temperature usually drops to -40F and sometimes even to -70F. This is basically a short background story of me.

I want to testify how I met Jesus and how God was leading my life as He was leading Israel the whole time. As you all know, I’m a 2^nd gen. and all 2^nd gens are special. I went to Korean elementary school, International middle school, and Russian high school. I didn’t have any problem going to three different language schools. Just followed my parent’s orders, because I thought they knew God more than I know, and it’s wise to listen to them. May be it was just my passive character, that didn’t really think about my future life. Then, I never really realized that it was the God’s plan, but I think that God was training me just like Moses when he was the prince of Egypt. As a kid I was always happy, active and didn’t have any problems meeting with new people and adapting to a new environment. Now I believe, that God gave me this kind of talent, because He wants to use me as a fisher of men, his tool in Russia. For 6 years of the korean elementary school in Moscow, I was the youngest boy and the only boy in my class. All of my friends were older girls, and there I learned how to communicate with women a little bit. I hope that God will use this talent in the future. After finishing elementary school, I passed an easy test and was accepted to Hinkson Christian Academy. There they taught me discipline, but period of adolescence came into my life. At this period of time, I started to realize, that it wasn’t an accident that I was born as a first son into a UBF missionary family in Russia. I knew in my head that it was God’s plan, but my heart couldn’t accept it. I started to do crazy stuff to get attention from my friends and especially girls. My hardest problems that I had struggled with were the sins of lust. I kept on making the same mistakes, hurting my sisters in Christ, hurting my parents and my friends. I repented every time, but I couldn’t stop sinning, and in my mind, I was hating myself, because I knew that I was a slave of my sinful nature just like the Israelites in Egypt. I think it was the time when I really stated to realize that I couldn’t do anything by myself. Just like the Israelites under Egypt.

God didn’t leave me alone. My dad told me to prepare a life testimony and if I’m ready, to get baptized. We were studying Exodus, and when I was praying and meditating on the word, I could hear God talking to me through the verses of Exodus. Paul, why are you still sitting there in slavery of Egypt? I brought you out of it. I gave you my lamb, only Son Jesus! Eat my Passover lamb and get out of Egypt! You are free from your sins, from your slavery, from your past life! I accepted that word and repented. I accepted Jesus and ate my Passover lamb. But there was the next step. I knew that leaving my past life would be hard. It would be same as leaving my home that I got used to. And if I accept Jesus and leave, I will have hard time in this world. I knew that desert was a place without food, water, with snakes, enemies all over, cold and hot. I was afraid of the desert, but God spoke again. Wasn’t I the One who gave manna when they had no food? Wasn’t I the One who gave water from the rock? Wasn’t I the One who protected them from all the enemies and wasn’t I with them all the time in the form of a cloud and fire? I’m going to lead you just as I lead Israel. I’m going to lead you to the promised land, to my kingdom, because I promised you. Don’t be afraid, just get out of your past sinful life and follow me. God promised me His kingdom in heaven through Jesus. I truly felt God’s love to me. I repented that I deep inside my heart, loved myself, this world more than Jesus. That’s why I knew the word but couldn’t live according to it. I didn’t have the living faith in me. I got baptized April 17^th 2012. After meeting Jesus, my way of thinking, acting changed. Of course I couldn’t stop sinning, but my attitude to Jesus and myself changed. I decided to believe in God’s endless love to me, and I realized the importance of daily bread and prayer and repentance. I also realized, that God wants to use me as a shepherd for Russian people. Last autumn I was accepted to MSUMD. I know and believe that God has a plan for me, that’s why he lead me this way throughout my life. I want to be used just like Israel was used in God’s history. Lord! I know I’m not perfect, but I trust your promise and your love to me. I want to be a shepherd for Russian people, but use me as you want!

Our Moscow UBF has 4 chapters: MSU, MISA, MSIIR, MSTU. Biggest is MSU where my parents are now. My mom does bible study with 4 sheep and my dad does it with 4 including me. Our church has a lot of 2^nd gens. I lead boys CBF group. Pray that God will give me strength to have patience, loving heart to pray for 2^nd gens and be a good example for them.