Only Through God’s Grace

A letter from Myoungho Yang and Jiyeon Yoo, serving in China

November 2018

Dear Friends in Christ,

Greetings from Hong Kong!

We have had a heavy rain all day long today. It seems that we now need to prepare for the coming cold winter that this rain will bring.

I have one more week to go in this semester, and I must say it’s only by God’s grace that Jiyeon and I could have walked this far this year. In the second half of the year, we have been going through the roughest time of our life, and we never could have expected it.

Jiyeon and I returned to Hong Kong in July from our interpretation assignment after a wonderful time visiting many churches in the States and sharing our ministry. We had just started our new term as mission co-workers.

At the end of July, Jiyeon felt very tired after she returned from the Christian Family Service Center. The next morning when she woke up to prepare to leave for the Center, she felt numbness on the left side of her body and had some difficulty in speaking. We went to the hospital right away.

When we arrived at the hospital, everything looked normal. But Jiyeon’s blood pressure was extremely high. After a couple of tests were done, the doctor found she had suffered several infarcts (blockages in the brain) and a stroke. He was a bit optimistic about her condition and expected that she would be able to go home in a few days if her blood pressure was controlled. But an MRI showed that she had Moyamoya disease, a very rare disease, the cause of which is unknown. She could not be discharged, for she needed brain surgery as soon as possible. While waiting for the surgery, Jiyeon was attacked by another infarct, but the doctor couldn’t treat it with medicine because there was a high risk of a critical situation.

Jiyeon’s condition was getting worse every day, but the date of her surgery was uncertain. We couldn’t do anything but pray and wait. As we were told more about her disease and condition by the doctor, it became more certain that modern medical science cannot cure her, even with surgery. But the surgery was still necessary and urgent, even though it carried a high degree of danger. To make it worse, her vessels had been weakened and damaged. Preconditions for the surgery were that there could be no infarct or bleeding, and her condition needed to be stable.

The situation was urgent, and there was no sign of improvement in her body. Yet, amid these serious circumstances, we could thank God because Jiyeon was enduring well so far, keeping her mind peaceful like a little child in the presence of the Lord. We encouraged each other, saying “While we are passing through this season of our life and after we pass it, let’s lift the name of the Lord and sing of how God has been treating us with grace and how God has done good to us.” While we were praying God would heal her instantly, we also believed that God’s thoughts and ways are not always the same as ours, yet God’s ways are always good. There is no mistake in God. Therefore, our eyes were fixed on the Lord, and we entrusted Jiyeon to God’s mercy and mighty hand.

Twenty days after being hospitalized, Jiyeon was able to have surgery. Our two sons in the States came to Hong Kong the day before her surgery to support her.

It was a 10-hour surgery. We prayed together during the surgery at the church near the hospital. Our friends in Hong Kong, Korea, and the USA also prayed with all their hearts.

The surgery went smoothly. “God did it” were her first words when she saw me upon waking. We gave thanks to God. Three weeks after the surgery, Jiyeon was discharged. About that time, we found that her kidney function was impaired, so now she cannot eat salt. Her left arm and hand are getting better little by little but are still weak. We are still going to the clinic for her therapy.

We thank God that I was able to continue to teach with God’s help during this hard time. It was possible because of all your prayers. We thank you for your love. Please continue to pray that with God’s mighty power Jiyeon will fully regain the use of her left hand and fully recover her speech. We also ask you to pray that she will be healed from Moyamoya disease so that she won’t need another surgery, and for the healing of her kidney impairment. Thank you for all your prayers, support, and love.

Grace and peace of Christ our Lord,

Myoungho and Jiyeon

Please read this important message from José Luis Casal, Director, Presbyterian World Mission

Dear partners in God’s mission,

We near the close of 2018 inspired by the hope of Christ. God is transforming the world, and you are helping to make it happen.

Thank you very much for your support of our mission co-workers. The prayers and financial gifts of people like you enable them to work alongside global partners to address poverty, hopelessness, violence and other pressing problems in the name of Jesus Christ.

Every day, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission co-workers are blessed to be able to walk alongside their brothers and sisters across the globe. Listening to each other in faith and in friendship, they learn from each other how to work towards a world in which everyone flourishes. Acting upon what they discover together, PC(USA) mission co-workers and our global partners strengthen the body of Christ.

Because you are an integral part of God’s mission, I invite you to become more deeply committed to Presbyterian World Mission. First, would you make a year-end gift for the sending and support of our mission co-workers? The needs in the world are great, and World Mission is poised to answer God’s call to serve others.

I also invite you to ask your session to add our mission co-workers to your congregation’s prayer list and mission budget for 2019 and beyond. Your multi-year commitment will make a great difference in our involvement with our partners. The majority of our mission co-workers’ funding comes from the special gifts of individuals and congregations like yours, for God’s mission is a responsibility of the whole church, not a particular area of the church. Now more than ever, we need your financial support!

In faith, our mission co-workers accept a call to mission service. In faith, World Mission, representing the whole church and you, sends them to work with our global partners. In faith, will you also commit to support this work with your prayers and financial gifts? With hope and faith, I await your positive response!

At God’s service and at your service!

José Luis Casal
Director

P.S. Your gift will help meet critical needs of our global partners. Thank you!