A Year of Grace

A letter from Myoung Ho Yang serving in Hong Kong

December 2016

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Hong Kong! We hope all of you have a very happy and blessed New Year! We are in the middle of winter. It’s around 70 degrees, which is very comfortable winter weather compared to the freezing cold winters of northern New Jersey, where we used to live. It seems we have gotten used to this subtropical weather since we feel very cold and wear heavy coats now, which felt strange when we first came here three years ago—strange that people put on such heavy coats in 70 degree weather.

Not only are we used to the weather but we also feel comfortable living here. We thank God that we were able to adjust so smoothly to the weather, people, and culture in Hong Kong and continue to learn new things as we live together with people of Hong Kong and mainland China. As we look back at 2016, we must confess that we once again enjoyed the abundant grace of God in our life and ministry.

Myoung Ho delivers a lecture at a local church.

The Divinity School, where I serve, has a graduation commencement in November even though the academic year ends in May. It is called ‘Theology Day,’ and students come back for the celebration, bringing stories of their ministries. Some students have planted new churches in remote areas. It took about 20 hours for a couple of students to come by train for the graduation service. Some have found ministry positions in churches; still others are looking for ministries or planning further studies. I prayed with a couple of students who had experienced difficulties in their ministries in mainland China. It seems that we encounter similar difficulties in ministries everywhere we serve. We cried and prayed together.

I was also very encouraged when I heard about some exciting sharing. Two students from Myanmar who took my courses in previous years offered similar classes in their seminaries. One student from Cambodia who also took my course established a seminary and began to teach in Cambodia. He participated in the commencement with a group of his students and church members. A couple of weeks ago, I had a chance to visit a local church in mainland China that one of our graduates planted several months ago. He felt a need to educate the congregation’s members about worship and invited me to give a lecture at his church. The church has about 20 members now. They meet in the evening because it’s difficult for them to find a place to worship in the morning. They were very passionate about building a healthy church. I tried to use Chinese during my lecture, but I still need a translator most of the time. I hope to deliver lectures in Chinese in the very near future.

Ji Yeon participates in a small group bible study.

Ji Yeon and I continued to take a Chinese language class this semester. Ji Yeon meets one seminary student from mainland China every day. It is a time of learning and life-sharing counseling. We also participate in a small cell group consisting of college students who come from mainland China. We meet every Friday evening and have a Bible study and prayer meeting. Because of the language barrier our contribution is not as significant , but we hope we will be more fruitfully involved in this ministry, which helps to educate Christian leaders in addition to our mission work. They are postgraduate students who major in science, education, management, etc., in the university.

Another semester has ended, and Ji Yeon again prepared a fellowship meal for my students after the last class. It was a time of celebration and encouragement. I am preparing for the next semester during this winter break.

As we look back on our ministry in 2016, we remember your love. It is your loving prayers and generous financial support that make possible our ministry in Hong Kong. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude, and invite you to continue walking along side us with your prayers and financial gifts. We also ask you to continue to pray for our students and teachers so that we can bear much fruit in this ministry of equipping future leaders of churches in Hong Kong and mainland China. I also would like to ask you to pray for me that I will teach students by the power and wisdom of God and design new courses with creativity from above. In your prayers please also remember my two sons in the U.S. Both Samuel and John have just started a new chapter of their lives. Samuel became a seminary student and is serving as a youth pastor; John graduated from college and began working last summer.

Thank you for walking with us in God’s mission.

In Grace and Peace of Christ,

Myoung Ho and Ji Yeon