Weblog

Thursday, 25 September 2008

  • An Email From My Mom (Umma)

    This made my day and I just had to share it! :) So I just taught my mom how to write e-mails so we can write to each other while I'm at ARISE. Here's the second e-mail she's ever written:

    From :: Chung Shin (ummashin@gmail.com)
    To :: Kimberly Shin (misskimmy@gmail.com)
    Date :: Tue, Sep 23, 2008 at 10:07 PM
    Subject :: umma. ha ha.



    Dear My lovely Baby.

    I check all my E--mail from you.

    I am grad you learning .

    today is very beautyfullday in here.

    I cook fish today.

    when i eat i miss you.

    I am learning more to.

    first I love god second you hahaha...............I love you . I been writing two hour woow..

    I will call you .O.K .good by ..........



Sunday, 09 March 2008


  • A smile and a wink...


    For the past week and a half I've had this cold that just doesn't want to go away. I've been getting these cough attacks every couple hours or so, so on my way home from work on Friday I stopped by the gas station to fill up my tank. As I was paying for my full tank I picked up a bag of Halls Defense Vitamin C drops. Of course it was the assorted citrus flavors kind. As some of you may know, I'm a little picky when it comes to food. And so it is with these Vitamin C drops. I've had these flavors before and knew that I only like the Sweet Grapefruit ones out of the 3 flavors in the bag.

    Usually I like to take the time to empty the bag and sort out the grapefruit flavors. However this weekend I went to our church's HS retreat and had no time to select the ones I prefer. During the weekend I'd take a Vitamin C drop and unwrap carefully to reveal if the color was indeed pink. Delicately unwrapping the drop meant that I could wrap it back up and place it back into the bag if it turned out to be orange or yellow. But drop after drop on Friday evening I reveled in the fact that I had yet another grapefruit Vitamin C drop!

    This went on to Saturday as well. To my grateful surprise every single drop I opened and ate was my most favorite flavor - Sweet Grapefruit! All weekend, there wasn't one where I had to re-wrap and place back inside the bag. While I had my last drop for the night yesterday, I realized I had finished more than half of the bag. I'm telling you... this cold is the most annoying and long lasting colds I've ever had and these Vitamin C drops are the sweetest and closest thing to candy - the Sweet Grapefruit flavor ones of course! So at the end of the day I thought, "Surely the rest of the bag will be filled with only Orange and Lemon flavored drops."

    Again I was awakened by another irritating cough attack this morning, so I reached over for a cough drop. The moment I popped another grapefruit drop into my mouth I remembered of the nice surprises of the day before. The whole day I carried my Vitamin C drops faithfully and each time I went to retrieve a drop I'd think, "How cool would it be if this is yet another grapefruit flavored drop?!" Then I'd open the wrapping and uncover the pink colored drop and smile.

    With almost 3/4 of the bag finished, I lost my patience and emptied the rest of it's contents. I anxiously unwrapped the last 9 drops and guess what I discovered? One... only one Lemon flavored drop. Out of all 30 Vitamin C drops, only ONE came out to be something other than my most preferred flavor. Which I can proudly tell you I ate. So in the end, I did not have to waste one single drop.

    Coincidence? Some of you may think so. As for me... I believe God smiled back and winked at me tonight. ;o)



    O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
    You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.
    You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.
    For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
    You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.
    Psalm 139:1-5

Monday, 25 February 2008

  • Excerpts from my testimony given February 9, 2008.


    They say that by age 25, it all goes downhill from there for the single ladies. Well, I can honestly tell you that this past year, my 25th year has been the best year of my life so far! I know it’s a bit of a dramatic statement, but I have rediscovered my first love. God has blessed me with a true revival in my heart, soul, and mind - and it's about time! :)

    I was led into the church and was fed the “milk” that everyone needs as a baby Christian. But this past year, God has revealed to me that there’s so much more than milk. He gave me a real hunger for “adult food” and a deeper relationship with Him. God has truly opened my eyes to see the beauty of the truth! It’s beautiful! Amen? I can’t tell you enough of what the Bible holds. I am a living testimony that the Word can transform. Now, I am not ashamed of the gospel. Why? Because I know it works! Why are some ashamed of the gospel then? Can I dare say it’s because they don’t believe it works?!

    Having an experience with God… it will just come bubbling out of you. It becomes more natural and apart of you. I wanted to share the goodness of what this Bible has and the power of prayer, because I can’t hold it in! I place so much importance on revival because I really needed to wake up from my spiritual slumber. Like it says in Romans 13:11 – “And that, knowing the time is now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”

    As we look at current world events, how can we say that Jesus is not coming soon? So what are we waiting for? Are we waiting for life to be perfect and then to follow Jesus with everything? (Matt. 16:24-27) Are we waiting for school to finish? For our perfect job? For marriage? For our kids to grow up? If so, ask yourself... is it worth it?

    If we do not have the burden to save souls, then we are part of the world that makes no difference to the 2nd coming! Doesn’t that make us conformed to this world? We are called to be IN the world, but not OF the world (1 John 2:15.) We are then living as if God does not exist. That is actually the definition of secular. Are we living secular? Living as if God does not exist? Let’s ask ourselves this question… what makes us different? Are we too happy, too comfortable living in this world? If I’m to be completely honest, I have to answer… I think I am. I have forgotten: this world is not my home (Matt. 6:19-21.)

    Romans 12:2. But before you turn to it, let me tell you: you need to believe in this book. You need to believe this is the truth. If you don’t, my message won’t mean much to you – because this Book is the reason why I'm up here today. So that is a challenge to those to seek for themselves the truth I am talking about. (Don't you want to experience this joy that only God provides?) But if you do believe… isn’t it our duty then to read it, know it, and live it?

    Romans 12:2 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

    There is an immediate need for change and revival. Cliché as it may sound, the time is NOW. What are we waiting for? Testimonies, Volume 9 says, “Every day that passes brings us nearer the end. Does it bring us also near to God? Are we watching unto prayer? Those with whom we associate day by day need our help, our guidance. Tomorrow some of these souls may be where we can never reach them again. What effort do we make to win them to Christ? Time is short, and our forces must be organized to do a larger work. Laborers are needed who comprehend the greatness of the work and who will engage in it, not for the wages they receive, but from a realization of the nearness of the end. The time demands greater efficiency and deeper consecration.”

    I once heard that every revival is linked with a radical prayer life. It’s not just “a prayer.” But an extreme, revolutionary, higher prayer LIFE. That prayer life is a nonnegotiable element in revival. It should be our priority. Amen? As I was reading Messages to Young People, I came across a statement that is so powerful – “At t he sound of FERVENT prayer, Satan’s whole host trembles.” Wow… I love this! We can make the devil tremble! Satan knows how powerful prayer really is, that his whole body is in fear! That should convict us to pray even harder. I hope every time we pray together, we make the devil tremble!

    Once you start truly loving God… how can you go back to your old life? How can you NOT share it? That’s why I’m up here… because no one can stop me from sharing my testimony of this newfound life in God.

    I want to close with this quote from Ellen G. White. “A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work. There must be earnest effort to obtain the blessing of the Lord, not because God is not willing to bestow his blessing upon us, but because we are unprepared to receive it. Our Heavenly Father is more willing to give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him, than are earthly parents to give good gifts to their children. But it is our work, by confession, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer, to fulfill the conditions upon which God has promised to grant us his blessing. A revival need be expected only in answer to prayer.”

     

    All 5 of us gave our testimonies that Sabbath. I believe God blessed that Sabbath afternoon. :)

Sunday, 14 October 2007

  • My A.N.E.W. Testimony in Korean


    My apologizes to those who don't understand Korean.

    Yesterday, I spoke to the parent church on my experience at the A.N.E.W. Retreat, along with Bonnie and Richard. I volunteered to speak in Korean and if you don't know me very well, my Korean is... well, it's shameful and as Susan pointed out, it's a mix between an American accent and 사투리 accent. (My mom's from Daegu - the countryside of Korea. I learned from her.)

    I think this testimony shows how bad I really am in the Korean language, with all my spelling and grammatical errors. Thanks to Haewon unni though, I had a lot of fun writing it and preparing this testimony-turned-sermonett
    e! I realized the more you learn, the more you want to share. So this is the message I wanted to share... Enjoy!


    이 Retreat 같다와서 하나님 마을를 다시 갓게 돼었읍니다. 하나님개 대한 사랑이 더 깊어지게 돼었읍니다. 여러분들도 이런 경험 하시길 기도합니다.

    Retreat 에서 좋은 말씀으로 많은 것을 배왔음니다. 그 중에서 세가지를 여려분게 말섬드리겠읍니다:
    첫 번제는, 저이 모든 죄를 예수님께 맡기지 안하면, 그거시 저로 넘어지게 한다는 거습니다. 사단이 우리를 넘어지게 하려고 열심히 일하고 있읍니다. 사단은 우리가 시간이 많타고 생각하고, 하나님께 죄를 맛기지 않길 바라고 있읍니다. 그래서, 우리는 더욱 더 열심히 기도해야 합니다.

    두번쩨로, 기도는 아주 큰 힘이 있읍니다. 유혹을 받고 나서 기도하지 말고, 유혹이 오는 순간 기도 해야합니다. 죄의 유혹이 올떼, 이길수 있도록 기도 해야합니다.

    마 직막으로, 하나님께서는 분명히 우리를 구워 하실 거습니다. 하늘나라는 하나님을 사랑하고 민는사람들도 가득 할겄읍니다. 만냐게 세상애 유혹들을 사랑 하면 어덕헤 하늘나라에 기픔을 일수 있을까요? 우리가 하나님을 정말 사랑하지 안흐면 하늘나라에 사라도 행복하지 안흘 것읍니다.
    만냐게 새상거슬 중요하게 생각하면 사단을 외해서 사는것읍니다. 루가보금 (Luke 12:21) 12장 21철에 보면 새상에 살믄 잠시동안 알하고 나와 있읍니다. “자기를 위하여 재물을 싸아두고 하나님께 데하여 부요치 못한 자가 이와 같으니라.” 하나님이 우리를 사단이 유혹에서 구헤조야 합니다.

    우리가 의미없는 채림교인 처럼 매주 매주를 사라가실 겁니까? 우리는 하나님 한테 본능을 박을수 있도록 기도 하야 합니다. 행동만이 안이고 본능을 박궈야지만 잔심으로 하나님에 계핵데로 사라갈수 있읍니다. 우리 교인들이 한 마음으로 하나님에 목적을 이루어야 합니다. 하나님에 은해로 부터 우리가 벅궈서 하나님을 더 사랑할수 있읍니다. 사랑은 율법과 같은 거시라고 요한복음 (John 14:15) 14장 15철 나와 있읍니다. “너희가 나를 사랑하면 나의 계명을 지키리라.”

    저는 이제 여러분이 기도해 주시기를 바랍니다. 더 이상은 같은 자리에서 맨돌수 없읍니다. 마지막 시대에 우리는 열심으로 기도하면, 신앙의 부흥을 가저야 합니다. 복음을 전파 합니다. Ellen G. White은 말하기를 “진실된 가도는 사단 도 떨게 한다.”고 하였읍니다. 진심으로 하나님께 기도하면서, 충성된 종이 됩시다!

Wednesday, 30 May 2007

  •  Spring Break '07 - San Juan, Puerto Rico

    (very late update... but oh well! lots of pictures ahead, beware.)

    With BonnieMommie...

    In Old San Juan

    I'm so lucky...

    With KaraBeara...

     

    At Yunque Rainforest

    With YunJa...

    With Epson...

    Beach Photos!

    The girls

    With Mark...

    Here comes the Outtakes!

    Before:

    After:

    Saving the best for last...

    It's called Scleroderma. Look it up.  (That's what you get when you go on a trip with 5 other medical students.)