“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 1:3-6

Dear friends and faithful ministry partners,

Greetings in the name of our sweet Lord, Jesus Christ.  As you read this newsletter, I trust you are well. I just finished my Intercultural and Language Acquisition Training in North Carolina.  I am so glad that’s done! I arrived Montana last night after a three days drive.  It was a beautiful drive from North Carolina to Montana. Long driving is always a quality time with the Lord, plus the beautiful sceneries along the road truly blessed my heart. I am so happy; I made it home safely and on time for Thanksgiving.  Thank you to those of you who prayed for my safety while I was traveling.

After my training, I stayed at my home in North Carolina for a week.  I visited with friends and family, and drove to the beach and satisfy myself with yummy seafood, mainly with crab legs.  North Carolina is home for me.  And it’s always hard leaving, especially not knowing when I’ll be back again. Before I left Montana, I told my mom that I’d be back before Thanksgiving.  My mom knows how I feel about leaving my North Carolina home, and that’s probably why she said to me in one of our conversations’, “It’s ok if you can’t be home for Thanksgiving.  We should already be giving thanks to God all the time and celebrate our lives with thanksgiving everyday, anyway.  Also, we can cook the Turkey once you get home.  So, nothing to worry.”  I thought, Wow! What a statement of a grateful heart to God and my mom’s loving heart for me.  Although my mom wants me home for Thanksgiving, she understood how I feel.  I love my mom so dearly. She always inspires my walk with Christ.

I thought about what my mom said to me, “We should already be giving thanks to God all the time and ‘celebrate’ our lives with thanksgiving everyday.”  You might ask.  How do you give thanks in the midst of this covid19 times?  How about for someone who is dealing with sickness/pain or someone who just got laid off from his or her work; perhaps, someone who is grieving for the loss of his or her love ones?  How about the political drama of this country?  How can you give thanks with all the “drama” that is happening at this time?  How do you give thanks to God in all these kinds of circumstances?  If you ask me, and I’ll be honest; it not easy to give thanks in all those circumstances I mentioned. However, what always comes in mind when I’m dealing with difficult situation is that God never promised me an easy life.  He never said that my days would be smooth sailing or I’ll have a bump-free life.  What He promised us is we will never be alone (John 14:16).  And in any situation, all we need to do is ask (Matthew 7:7) and to continually pray and give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) because in His perfect timing, He answers all our prayers.  Yes, it’s not easy to give thanks in the midst of a difficult situation, but we serve a loving God Who wants only the best for us.  Each day is a “second chance” and each day is a gift from God.  In my life, it’s not all beautiful.  But a lot of times, I choose to see the beauty God has for me.  As I always say, there is always beauty in every season.  Just like in the wintertime, I’m not happy whenever my car gets stuck in a snow bank; but I still love the cold weather and I admire the view of a beautiful snow-capped mountain.  If we just look around, there are a lot to be thankful for in our lives.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Whenever I looked back in my life, I thank God for His hands that cover me.  Life may not be easy, but God has always provided for my family and I.  I am so grateful for my mom and my dad, especially with my mom.  She is my #1 supporter, my #1 cheerleader, and my #1 in everything.  I thank God for her life.  And I thank God for each day that He has given me. Most of all, I thank God for Jesus and the sacrifice He did on the cross.  And I thank God for His plans in my life.  I thank God for International Ministries.  I thank God for you! And to all the people He brought in my life.  Please know how grateful I am for your faithful support in finance and in prayers.  Thank you for your encouraging messages that you sent through Facebook, email, and some of you even texted me.  And during my travels, a few of you called me and kept me company while I’m on the road.  You kept me awake while driving! 🙂  I appreciate you so much.  Thank you for journeying with me and for sending me to the mission field.

My prayer is that you will see God’s beauty and have a grateful heart in every circumstance you’re in.  May He bless you abundantly and heal you physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  I hope you have a great and blessed Thanksgiving!

Much Love in Christ,
Jae