Long Term Missions Training Begins- Aug 2011

          Now that you have seen a glimpse of where I started and how God has gotten me to where I am today, I would like to share with you the next step! This August I will be going to Wales. I will be doing a 9 month long term missions training program. (http://worldhorizons.co.uk/) Through this program I will receive the training necessary for me to live and work effectively in a cross-cultural situation. There are two parts to this training. The first is various classes. Here's a list of some of the classes I will be taking: Spiritual warfare, cultural studies, prayer, ethics, church planting. The second part is practical ministry. We will be doing things in the community, I will be involved in a local church, and reaching out to the people around me who are not believers.
         This is not something I can do on my own. I need people who are committed to seeing the great commission fulfilled and who believe in what God is doing in me and through me. As is says in Romans 10:14-15, how then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 
         The two vital ways you can be a part of this with me is through prayer and financial support. If you would like to support me on a monthly basis or make a one time donation money can be sent directly to World Horizons. All money sent to them is tax deductible. Please email me at kyug29@gmail.com for instructions on sending money directly to World Horizons.
       I also need people who are committed to praying for me. As I move out into full time missions there will be many changes, adjustments, and challenges. Having a great team of people praying for me will not only make this time of transition for me easier but will enable me to be more affective in fulfilling the work God has for me in my time in Wales and also as I go out from there.

Training Program Cost and what it covers:

• $5700                  
• Training supplies
• Any traveling done as part of the training

Amount of Monthly Support and what will be used for:

• $1300/month
• Housing
•  Food
•  Health insurance
•  Taxes
• Other misc expenses

North Africa 2010

In the fall of 2009 I met a man at a church here in Oklahoma who was originally from Pakistan. My friend that was with me knew I wanted to talk to him but was to shy. So she walked up to him and introduced me and left me there to talk to him. I was so nervous and not sure what to say. I told him a little about myself and that I had a desire to go to northern Africa and why. He told me he did not know anyone there but knew someone who did. After emailing several people I was connected with a group going on a short term trip into a north African country.
        When we first arrived it was definitely an overwhelming experience. All the women were wearing djellabas, only their faces showing, I did not understand the language, but there was something else that I experienced. As I looked at the people walking down the street or in the shops along the way, I saw them with God's eyes. I saw them as a people who only knew Jesus as a prophet not as their Savior. Many of them have never heard and may never hear of what Jesus did for them.
       The highlight of the trip for me was when I had the opportunity to stay in the homes of a couple families. Even though I did not speak the language, we found ways to communicate. As they taught me how to cut vegetables and make mint tea, and showed me how they made bread, I got a  glimpse into their daily life. We spent time praying for the people and for their leaders. I believe God has given me a desire to go back and show them the love of Jesus. Also to encourage the believers that live there. As I have learned from my time at Voice of the Martyrs, that life is not easy for them. They risk their jobs, families, and even their lives to follow Jesus.

This is a picture of one of the places we visited in a well known city. It is called the Bab Bou Jeloud.

This is one of the towns we visited in the northern part of the country.

South Africa '05-China '06

A  few years down the road and a couple of mission trips later I found myself in South Africa. I was so excited! This was my first trip to Africa! I met a couple while there. During my time there they both became believers and the wife was healed. When my group first arrived at their home we served them by just helping with their daily chores. We washed clothes, scrubbed the floor, and through this shared the gospel. We found out that the wife had something wrong with her eyes and could no longer see. We read her stories out of the Bible of how Jesus healed the blind. We then asked if she would like us to pray for her to be healed, she said yes! We all prayed in agreement and came back the next day to find a woman who could see! Her eyes had been a yellowish color and now they were completely cleared up and she could see perfectly!

       Wow! I was 17 and had never prayed for anyone to be healed. It was amazing to see God work so powerfully in these peoples lives, and as much as they were changed so was I. That passion that God had given me for missions increased even more! This is a picture of that couple.

In January of 2006 I was preparing to go to Botswana that summer. I had already signed up and started planning for the trip. One Wednesday night my youth pastor asked me if I had ever thought about going to China. I did not tell him at the time but China was the one place I had told God I would never go. I was willing to go anywhere but there! He went on to tell me about when he had gone. Sounded like an amazing trip but just not for me. He told me I should pray about it and I half heartily told him I would.

             The next few days I did pray about it and just felt that God was leading me to change my plans and go to China. I did not know why but I told God I would go. So that June I got on a plane and ended up in the place I had told God I would NEVER go. Sadly I arrived with a bad attitude. It was hot, smelly, and there were way too many people! God had a bigger plan than what I could ever have imagined.

        In my quiet time one day I read Acts 20:24. God used that verse to adjust my attitude and completely change my outlook. I read all that Paul had been through yet he was not going to give up. He was determined to remain faithful, finish his race with Joy and to testify to the gospel of the Grace of God! This has become my life verse. It reminds me why I am here and what I have been sent to do! After I was willing to give up my wants and comforts God was able to do amazing things through me! Here is a picture of some of the students I worked with while there.

Call to Missions-Dec 2001

I was in San Diego, California just a week after Christmas for a youth conference. I have lots of great memories, all the awesome speakers and bands but there is one thing that happened there that I will never forget!
          We were listening to a youth pastor speak at one of the sessions. I do not remember much of what he talked about but I do remember that the Holy Spirit was talking to me. I had just gone on my first missions trip in August and knew that was what God was calling me to do long term. It was that day though as the Holy Spirit was talking He revealed another piece of God's plan. I felt in my spirit that I would be living in Africa someday. At that point I did not know how, when, or where but I was very sure of what He had told me. So from that point on I started telling my parents I was going to live in Africa and started going on every short term missions trip I could!

Introduced to Missions-Aug 2001

               A few years prior to 2001, I read a book called Tortured for Christ. This was the first time I had heard of a modern day persecuted church. It was not just something that happened in the Bible but was still going on today. It opened my eyes to what believers around the world were facing and gave me a passion to encourage and support them in any way I could. After reading this book I was given my first introduction to missions.
          In August of 2001, I went on my first missions trip to Kansas City. My youth pastor took a group of us to a church that had been flooded. We helped clean up the church, paint, and did a vacation bible with the neighborhood kids. One of the best things that happened on the trip was I forgot that it was my birthday. I had forgotten till someone reminded me. Though its something small and kind of funny, God used it to show me something. What He showed me that day would completely change the course of my life. I did not have a full understanding of what this meant but I knew I wanted to do missions the rest of my life.