[First published on 11/25/2015. To view the original newsletter, click here.]
Hi family and friends!
Greetings from Virginia! After two months under the California sun, I’m welcomed back by a crisp chill in the air and the many colors of fall…and I love it! It’s good to be home.
And of course, my stay in San Diego was awesome, being able to spend precious time with my brother and sister-in-law. I actually got to celebrate my birthday on my last day there (which was the first time I’ve shared it with my brother in more than 15 years!) and it was great. I am so thankful to God for this invaluable time together with family.
In this newsletter, I want to continue sharing with you all on another “why” for going on The World Race, along with a few updates on trip details. So let’s get started!
A SENSE OF NEED
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it — not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it — they will be blessed in what they do.” — James 1:22-25
Everyone wants to be healthy. To look good, feel good and have lots of energy — who wouldn’t want that? And it’s the same whether physically or spiritually.
Having grown up in church since the 3rd grade, I’ve been very well-fed spiritually, consuming a healthy dose of sermons, Bible studies and fellowship. And as a growing Christian, I savored this good stuff and tried to digest everything I could. But we all know being healthy requires a balance of two things: diet and exercise. We can’t have one without the other and miraculously expect to be well physically — but that’s how we often treat our spiritual bodies. And I’ve been doing the same.
Without realizing it, I had been slowly turning into a Christian couch potato for the last year or so, just sitting in the pews and listening to sermons every Sunday but doing nothing with it. But as James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” My faith was not just to be consumed, but also be put into use. And I knew this to be true because going on missions trips in the past had been some of my best forms of spiritual exercise, as my faith muscles were constantly being pushed into action and pulled outside my comfort zone — and I believe that is exactly what God wants me to do again.
Because more and more, my spiritual body has been craving for more action. And just as Jesus showed by His ministry on earth, our faith is an active one that is called to demonstrate our love and concern for others not just by our words, but also by our actions. For as James continues to write, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds…As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:18, 26).
So that is my second reason for doing The World Race — the need to exercise my spiritual body as my spiritual life firmly depends on it, by taking all of Christ’s teachings that I’ve learned and putting them into action. Simply put, I need to get off my lazy spiritual butt and go do more for Christ — because He so clearly calls us to participate in His kingdom-building and not just watch from the sidelines! And while I am far from perfect or know everything there is to being a Christian, my confidence firmly rests in God, knowing that His provisions and truths over the years has equipped me with everything I need to glorify Him on this crazy journey!
TRIP UPDATE
LAUNCH DATE IS FINALLY SET! I’ll be leaving on January 3rd from Los Angeles (LAX) and flying to my first country of Thailand! It will be a 15 hour flight to China, where we will have a 3 hour layover before another 3 hour flight to Bangkok. From there, we will take a 9 hour bus ride to Chiang Mai, where Training Camp will be. So if my calculation is correct…that’s a 30 hour travel day…on my “first” day! Lord, please have mercy on my motion sickness prone body…
Another piece of good news — the first Fusion squad from January 2015 will be our prayer partners! Each person from my second squad will be paired up with someone from the first squad, who will be praying with and for us throughout the entire 11 month trip. This is definitely an unexpected surprise and one that everyone on my squad is grateful for…PTL!
FUNDRAISING UPDATE
Thank you everyone! I am now at $4,980 of my $16,362 goal (30%)! That’s almost halfway to my second deadline of $10,000 total by December 18! Again and again, I am amazed by how the Lord continually provides for me.
Also, I was supposed to share this with you all previously but totally forgot (sorry!) But below is information on Adventures in Missions, the organization that runs The World Race program.
“Adventures in Missions, Inc. (Adventures) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Adventures is also a member in good standing with the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), which means that Adventures meets or exceeds all of the ECFA’s standards for the management of donated funds. Donations made to Adventures in Missions are tax deductible based on the policies and principles located at www.adventures.org/policies.”
That means your donations could help you get a larger refund on your taxes! (Sorry, the CPA side of me made me say that, LOL)
So if you’d like to contribute to my Race, you can do so by using the link below. And a reminder — donations will be accepted until the end of April 2016 if you’d like to support on a recurring basis!
[Select Support a World Racer and enter my full name, Sang Yeop Park.]
Now that I’ve seen my name on the first travel itinerary, the feeling is surreal and unreal that my World Race journey is so close at hand! And while some of my squad mates have had attacks recently of doubts and fears, I’ve been very blessed with rarely any. More than trepidation, I’m filled with much excitement and anticipation that this kingdom-impacting trip will finally begin soon.
And I know I’ll have my own share of spiritual attacks that will need prayer in the future, but for now my worries are more centered on the administrative and financial concerns — to get everything done before I leave and to have enough funds to continue and go. So please keep those requests in your prayers!
T-minus 40 days before I leave 🙂
By His Love,
Sang Park
