I arrived at LAX airport on the morning of April 30. An elder from Bethel Church drove us to the hotel in Irvine where I was able to check in and head straight to the conference venue, Bethel Church. More than 100 missionaries and pastors from six continents lined up in two from the entrance and welcomed me with a warm round of applause. I was not unfamiliar with the place as I had previously visited, but the hospitality was overwhelming.
The conference was held from the Thursday evening to Sunday. In the evenings, along with missionary testimonies, the main instructors Pastor Junghyun Oh (Love Church), Pastor Eung-ryul Ryu (Washington Central Presbyterian Church), and Pastor Byung-sam Kim (Manna Church) took in turns to preach. While during the day, Korean pastors and missionaries selected by continent took turns to present their ministry. Missionaries had time to meet the congregation and Korean pastors participated in a sermon seminar held by Pastor Eung-ryul Ryu and Pastor Byung-sam Kim.
More than 300 congregation members joined to help the conference, and they served with such joy that it felt more like a family getting together rather than volunteers. Each meal was served with a variety of carefully cooked menus, and free medical services were provided in the afternoon. During meetings and services, there were always special concerts prepared, and everyone actively helped with transport to and from the church. It felt that they really believed the participating missionaries and pastors were precious people who were fiercely fighting for the Lord.
My memory is not the same as before, so I tried to memorise the faces, names and ministries of everyone in the handbook provided on the flight to LA as I wanted to meet as many ministers as possible during my time there. Although I was tried from the tight schedule from morning prayer to evening assemblies, it was such a pleasure to meet so many missionaries and pastors from all continents.
One of the pastors I met had retired after 30 years of quiet ministry in Israel. He had built 24 local indigenous churches, built and provided missionaries who could rest whenever they came to serve all Korean missionaries in South Africa, and invited missionaries several times a year to serve them. Moreover, I was very grateful to be able to meet and socialise closely with various pastors who are pastors of large churches in the Americas and Korea.
From Monday to Tuesday, we had time to travel around several California attractions, and this time to closely socialise with several missionaries and pastors was most precious. I even had the chance to meet two families from the God’s Vision Church who now live in California, and I was so happy to see them continuously living in faith.
Everyone I met, whether small or large the ministry, were all people who could not live without the grace of the Lord. I also am the same, and I have come back with a heart that I should live for Him by asking for the grace of the Lord in the place He calls me wherever that may be.
