To introduce myself, my name is Changshin Kim, and I have just completed my undergraduate studies and will soon return to Korea. I was born into a pastor’s family and grew up in the church from birth. However, there was no true salvation in my life, and I attended church largely as a matter of routine. But after coming to London, my life began to change.
Like many international students, when I first arrived in London, I wanted to meet other Koreans and find a church where I could settle. Then, almost by chance, I found God’s Vision Church—a church I had never initially considered attending. One thing I appreciated about God’s Vision Church was the time dedicated to earnest prayer. As someone who was still immature in my faith, I was not used to praying for long periods of time. At times, I even found it uncomfortable, but at the same time, I felt that this might be a church that could help establish me firmly in my faith.
Before I encountered God personally, the reason I went to church and attended cell group meetings was simply to meet people and socialise. At that time, I did not depend on God but approached everything in life in a calculated and self-reliant way. However, as I went through various experiences during my time studying abroad, I came to realise that I was simply a limited and imperfect human being. When I reached a point where I had fallen apart, Jesus came into my life. Knowing that He had forgiven me despite all my shortcomings and made me His child gave me the strength to rebuild my life.
For that reason, God’s Vision Church will probably remain one of the most meaningful places in my life. Sometimes I even wonder whether God brought me to London to study because He wanted to save me through God’s Vision Church. And so, as I now leave London, I think I will be able to board the plane with a deeply grateful heart. Yet I also came to realise that, despite receiving such grace here, I had failed to pray for this land.
On the first day of KOSTA, hosted by our church this year, Pastor Imgeum Yoo preached a sermon entitled, “The Ground on Which You Stand Is Holy Ground.” During the sermon, he asked us how much we were actually praying for London. London was a place I had originally come to only temporarily for my studies, but it became the place where I encountered God. Because of that, I should have prayed all the more earnestly for this city, yet I had forgotten to do so. I was reminded of the twenty young people who began a prayer gathering for Busan, and how that movement eventually grew to 200,000 people. I realised that London, too, needs that same kind of earnest, tearful prayer.
I am leaving London, but I will continue to pray for this city, for God’s Vision Church, and for all the international students who come here. In September, a new academic year will begin, and many newcomers will arrive in London and at God’s Vision Church. Some will already have a strong faith, while others, like me when I first arrived, may simply come because they want to meet people. But I believe that when we pray for them and pray for the city of London, the same work of God’s love that transformed my life will also take place in theirs. So, as I leave, I ask you to pray for London, for our church, and for the new international students who will soon arrive. Just as London changed my life, I pray that through God’s Vision Church, many more lives will also be transformed.
