It was the morning of the last day at the retreat. While having a meal, a staff member from the school cafeteria approached and asked. “You are in charge here, right?
For a moment, my heart sank. (Perhaps the children caused trouble without me knowing?) but what followed was unexpected. They continued saying “While working here, this is the first time I’ve seen such lovely and polite children.” The praise kept coming. Only then did I feel relieved, and honestly, I felt a little proud.
During the past three days, 37 people gathered in the outskirts of London for the secondary school retreat. 19 secondary school children, teachers who served worship through praise, and 11 teachers and volunteers. From morning meditation to late night prayer meetings, the 2 night 3 days retreat felt cruelly short. Even though delicious chicken and pizza awaited them, the children did not easily leave the place of prayer. (I will not be able to forget that scene for a long time).
On the second morning, God engraved a sentence in my heart during prayer. ‘Let God be remembered’ from Deuteronomy. The Words that say, ‘when you enter Canaan, do not forget the grace He showed in the wilderness”. Together with the teachers, we prayed. It is okay if our service and dedication are forgotten, but when the children think back to this retreat, may they remember meeting God and only God.
The 3 days retreat were built on sweat and tears of countless souls. The campfire meditation team, who prayed every morning, and the teachers who prayed for each child in fasting. There were also people who came all the way to the retreat carrying snacks and treats. Pastor Youngjoo Lee and family, Deacon Younghoon Lee/Eunae Kim, Deacon Yohan Moon/Haeyoung Min, Jungwon Lee/Jisun Choi, Deacon Jeeyoung Park/Jinhong Seo, Teacher Sungeun Kim/Sunghoon Jung/Juyeon Son. They knelt with the children past midnight. Even two young teachers who returned to Korea as soon as the retreat finished. (Though they may never be able to read this, I believe the Lord will faithfully lead their way ahead).
Also, there were angels who stayed by the children’s side for the whole 3 days. Pastor Wooil Park, Jonathan, Jin Park, Si-on Kim, Jooyoung Choi, Jongim Choi, Cheong-gyeong Jung, Hee-seong Seo, Hyewon Na, Jiwoo Bae, An Lee, Narae Joo, Yejin Lee, Gajin Lee, Dongyeon Kim, Junhyuk Lee. Including me, there were 17 of us. The children must have all seen this love and hope they will come to resemble that love. Thank you, everyone. All for God’s Glory!
