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Norway 2011 Annual Report                                                                 

Josef Chin

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season" (2 Timothy 4:2a)

There were many large earthquakes and many signs of the last days in 2011. As the last days approach, our redemption is drawing near, so I can stand up and lift up my head with hope in 2012.

In the last year, we studied Luke’s gospel like Korea UBF, and we want to continue to follow the same schedule as Korea UBF in 2012. In February, I finished one year of my internship in the hospital and began six months at a local place. By the grace of God, I was placed nearby my home. I usually took 20 patients and all their kinds of problems. In this training, I could learn how to serve people who are needy.

For Easter, my family and Brother Hyounu went to a small cabin in the mission center. During this period, we could build a relationship of love with one another.

In May, the whole family could visit Korea because of the World Mission Report. It had been five years since we last visited Korea, so we received a lot of love from our family and community. Through 50 years of the UBF ministry, I learned that God has given us a precious spiritual heritage that our generation should inherit. After the mission seminar, we participated in a disciple’s Bible camp in the Kyungsung chapter. The title of the conference was “Let us Rebuild the Holy Wall.” I had the privilege to deliver the last lecture at the conference so that I could study Nehemiah deeply. Through preparing the message, God gave me spiritual desire to be like Nehemiah. We had many mission reports at the conference. M. James from Turkey delivered a heart moving report and John Baek from El Camino gave us clear direction to continue to serve 1:1 Bible studies.

After these two conferences, we came back to Norway with my parents. My father has been handicapped since 1995 due to a traffic accident. For 16 years, my mother worked hard all the time to serve him. They also prayed for us every dawn. I have a lot of debt of love to owe when I thought about my parents. I felt very sorry for them. I thank God that we could have a chance to serve them in Norway. My children received unconditional love from my parents and they learned the Korean language excellently in a short time. My cousin Minjun also came before going to India to serve a missionary house there. I thank God for M. Maria Chin who warmly served them.

In August, the Northern Europe Bible conference was held in Bergen. Among those who attended were three families from Northern Europe and Ireland, Abraham and Sarah Han from Korea, eight second generations, and four Bible students. The title of the conference was “Jesus! You Are the Christ,” and the conference center was located at a beautiful place. Second gens and Bible students served in the preparations, duo-drama, and praise and worship. Men missionaries delivered powerful and spiritual messages, and women missionaries served the group Bible studies gracefully. We had a great time together with the treasure hunt, music concert, and little campfire. Sister Hande from Turkey joined us. She came to Norway to study for a Master’s degree. She is blind, but very self-sufficient. She served with a special song and was very joyful throughout the conference. Brother Hyounu helped me greatly to prepare the conference. Sister Kyungmi was very busy because she had to write a paper for her doctorate degree, but she listened to the message deeply with a humble mind. She received a scholarship recently and decided to give a monthly thanksgiving offering. All the attendees, even the children, served the conference and each other so that we all felt like family and it was full of grace.

After the conference, I finished my six months of work at a local place and had to find another job. I tried to find a job in Bergen, Oslo, or Stavanger, which is big city in Norway, and sent a lot of CVs to many hospitals. But it was not easy. By God’s mercy, I could work in an emergency center in Bergen and will finally work as a physician in a small town near Bergen.

I thank God who showed us a lot of mercy and grace in 2011. Life is fast like an arrow and I want to seek the eternal kingdom of God in this life. Some say the end of days will occur in 2012. But I know the time belongs to God. The thing we must do is to sow seeds of the word. I pray that the word of God may be sown in my heart and the hearts of my family and Bible students. Our key verse for 2012 is 2 Timothy 4:2a “"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season."