Mission 193 in South Korea
Situated between the renowned countries of Japan and China lies the spectacular and untouched beauty of South Korea. Korea was, and officially still is a Buddhist country, with many temples hiding away in the various mountains that grace South Korea’s beautiful topography. Despite this fact, it is estimated that about a quarter of the population are practising Christians, and in almost every town and city you will find yourself surrounded by a great number of red or white illuminated crosses sticking out of the top of buildings signifying a meeting place of the church.
The difference in culture between South Korea and the UK is quite marked, and Kingdom excellence in areas such as punctuality, presentation, generosity, confession and respect is incredibly evident in all aspects of society – from public transport to car-parking attendants! We were therefore incredibly blessed by the people in Korea at all times: we were blessed when we travelled on their underground; we were blessed when we ate in their restaurants and we were blessed when we stayed with them in their homes. The culture of giving generously made a particularly deep impression on us, with both of us being astounded by the financial blessing we experienced during our stay.
Over half the population of South Korea are resident in the capital – Seoul – a huge, busy, vibrant city that is awake all hours and a staggering contrast to the serenity of the countryside, whilst possibly being (we think) the safest capital in the world. We decided Seoul would be the ideal place to prophetically proclaim God’s Word over the country and to pray for His people there, and so by ascending Seoul Tower and obtaining a 360 degree view of the whole city, we did just that.
On our second Sunday in Korea we visited Onnuri church in Seoul, which has 50,000 members and focuses on Matthew 28 and fulfilling the Great Commission. There we met the pastor of the English ministry, and presented him with the Bible and the letter, which he promised he would also pass on to the senior pastor of the church.
The other Bible was received by Mr Oh in Gumi, in the south of the country, a man of peace who along with his family went out of his way to bless us immeasurably – they took us in to stay with them, fed us a lot of delicious Korean food, took us around all the tourist sights in a particularly popular area, and even paid for our train tickets back to Seoul, twice!
All-in-all our entire trip to South Korea was a great success, and a huge testimony to the provision, protection and abundant blessing of God. We also learnt a great deal from our brothers and sisters in Korea, namely their dedication to prayer and fasting, their life together as a community, their tenacity and their intense desire to see the Kingdom of God come in their land, even as the church is rapidly growing and God is pouring out His blessing on them by the bucket load! We are extremely encouraged to see how much God is working in South Korea, and we are confident that what He can accomplish there, He can do here too, and more!
