Uprooting, leaving friend and family alike, venturing to distant lands and foreign cultures. We come from different places. We have different stories. We came for different reasons. But here, our stories align for a season. There is a unique openness, a certain availability that comes while living abroad, and God is breathing afresh into our lives, and our life together.
Together, we break bread.
Often.
Together, we worship.
We like that part a lot.
Together, we pray.
And
lay hands.
All those jiggy with Jesus devoted themselves to the apostles teachings, to living life to the fullest together, to sharing all sorts of ethnic meals together while sitting on the ground, and to praying unceasingly for each other with a sort of burning and longing that was unknown in that land.
A deep sense of awe came over all of them and they were changed so radically that everyone noticed them. They stood out everywhere they went. They were all so beautiful, as if to be a reflection of heaven itself.
Miraculous signs and wonders followed them. Some got sick but they were healed. Some spoke in tongues, had dreams of the future, and saw angels breathe fire before their very eyes. Others prayer languages resounded through out the land, they laid hands on each other and even their bones ached with joy.
They met together at weekly -- some on Wednesdays, others on Thursdays -- and shared everything they had. Their clothes were rotated between them. When someone needed something the others gave it to them, even more than half of their own kingdoms. They shared their beds and slept on each others floors.
The spirit was so alive that even as they slept, they were awake and their hearts stirred within them. They worshiped together, waiting in joyful expectation, some singing while others played stringed instruments.
They held hands and laid hands, and their gifts were made known through their unity. For this they were filled with gratitude.
Every time they met they shared the Lord's supper. They broke bread (and wine glasses), sharing their meals with great joy and generosity, all the while praising God and delighting the all the richness and goodness and beauty of each other.
And every Wednesday and Thursday the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved; because of this the He sustained them by providing giant pots of homemade soup, melodious singing, modern dancing and contagious amounts of laughter.
Life in Korea can be more impossible and undesirable than anything else. It is easy to grow tainted by unworthiness and exhausted by the limitations of others. We become all together too distant and too close all at once, stifled by buildings and trampled on by their shadows; but our prayers are steadfast in the light of the gifts He has given us and we delight in every way to watch each other become more alive here.
God's
Kingdom is being built up all over the world. In
Korea, we are all shifting and changing - together and apart - being established in
realms beyond our comprehension and being appointed to make them known
to those around us. We
do our best to devote ourselves to the Word of God, spend time
together as the People of God, and worship the Son of God. Together, we are
contending for God's kingdom to come in Korea... just as it is in
heaven.
If you've ever wanted to explore what Acts looks like lived out, come visit.
