I came to London in October 2019. Since then, I went through various struggles, especially because of work such as interactions with colleagues or being indirectly discriminated against.
What’s worse, the Covid-19 pandemic hit 5 months after I came. During this unprecedented time, I felt an extreme fear living abroad and being separated from my family. The lockdown seemed endless and at that time I desperately wanted to fly back to Korea to see my family. Unfortunately, I was unable to and I was deeply disappointed.
However, I heard a heartwarming response from God while I was praying all alone in my own place. He said, “I have planned for you to be in London, find your spiritual family in London and stay connected with them.”
All fellowship I had with GVC members has been precious and special. The choir – committed to spending a decent amount of time over the weekend for the performance, along with sharing each other’s prayer requests. Having successfully made the transition to online-based singing, we have witnessed that the worship can continue regardless of challenges. The interaction within M.W. Choi’s cell has become enriching over time. S.H. Lee has recently succeeded as the new cell leader, who has been devoted to encouraging the people to stay closer to the Church community.
The B2 course was a great platform that enabled me to have a stronger bond with God. During the time I was both a participant and a leader, I have constantly, yet strongly experienced the relentless work of the Holy Spirit during every interaction. I was trembling as I got to know the mystery of the Word I experienced – we had a number of life-changing and thought-provoking discussions. In addition, I have appreciated the morning QT group and the evening Bible reading club from GVC a lot. I had enough channels where I could interact with God.
Special thanks for the precious friendship I had with my peers, also with sisters I met from the choir. The friendship reminded me of the intimacy between myself and my siblings in Korea. Especially, I would express how thankful I am for the exceptional affection which was given to me by the Deacon Y.J. Kim and D.Y. Hwang family. Their daughter Eunwoo and myself have grown together for 2 years – I have learned much from their family, about how to serve the church community with their greatest effort. I believe that it is a gift from God to know the family in London. Small worship services within the family is something I had not known, yet praise God for His perfect plan to teach me how Christian families could look like. Despite being raised by non-Christian parents, I now have such a good example of a well-prepared Christian family.
I have constantly and desperately prayed for the salvation of my family – my parents and younger sister have not yet received Jesus Christ. I would like to share the gospel with the family. May we – my parents and myself – feel the living God. Yet, I have a firm belief that the day should come quite soon.
It has been a great pleasure to pray for the church. And I will pray for the church when I am in S. Korea as well. Thank you, GVC, for all the breakthroughs I had. – more interactive relationship with God, being disciplined by staying closer to God. It has been a wonderful journey in London, only because of GVC.
Dear GVC, thank you for staying with me. I appreciate the precious friendship a lot. Thank you for being my friend and my family. Mostly, thank you for being a place of worship and interactions. Most of all, I love you GVC!
