I take pleasure in infirmities

"Therefore I take please in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."
2 Corinthians 12:10



I am trying to focus on this saying by Paul. This past week I fell quite sick, must have been the flu, but have been completely in the bed for about 48 hours.
Last Friday I spoke to about 100 students at a student retreat north of Daegu (you can see the picture of the huge bonfire they made) about mustard seed faith (Matthew 17:20-21), after a long exhausting week, I think it put me over the edge. I felt so sick by Monday morning, my nose was constantly running, and I didn't have any medicine to make it stop. But God was gracious to me, in that my nose completely dried up for exactly the length of time that I was teaching class, then it started running again after class.

I finally got some medicine from the nurse here. Now I realize that Korean medicine is much, much stronger than American medicine, because it completely knocked me out. Anyway, starting to feel better now, and now behind on all my classes.

Are ye able?

“Can you drink the cup I drink or be
baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
Mark 10:38

I've really enjoyed singing this hymn in the morning saebyeokgido in Korean. It goes:

"Are ye able when the shadows
Close around you with the sod,
To believe that spirit triumphs,
To commend your soul to God?

Lord, we are able. Our spirits are Thine.
Remold them, make us, like Thee, divine.
Thy guiding radiance above us shall be
A beacon to God, to love and loyalty."

Cyberhymnal music

This week has been rough for me, when I was teaching the words of Christ in my class last Tuesday I got very dizzy, and almost fainted. I held onto the pulpit tightly. Just after I finished I felt fine. I heard the same thing happened to another new professor I think the same day.

Then Monday, I completely forgot about my class, I don't know what happened. I guess I'm used to teaching Tuesday/Thursday instead of Monday/Thursday. It was quite embarrassing to get a phone call from a student saying "Professor where are you, don't you know that we have class now?". Anyway, God has been gracious to help me during this time.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised

"Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness."
Psalm 48:1

The LORD has been blessing me like anything here. I had been praying that God would provide a car for me. I never asked anyone about it. But someone came in my office today, and said that someone wants to give me his car. Praise the Lord! His word is true: "Give and it shall be given you..." This is the second time someone has given me a car without asking.

God has provided 4 undergraduate students to do creation science research under me. Also, I have proposed a graduate school in Computational Science and Engineering, if it is funded, they want to ask me to be the director of the graduate program.

For the Lord GOD will help me...

"The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary... For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be an, Mexico, Congo, Cameroon, Rwanda, Mongolia, and Vietnam.

I gave all my students a questionnaire to fill out with questions like "what is your meaning or purpose in this life?" and "how is getting your degree at Handong helping to fulfill that purpose?". One of the students responded "I want to live for kingdom of God. I’m looking for what can I do for this purpose." and "I want to be a professor of PUST(Pyongyang University Science and Technology) in North Korea. I believe that I am here now because of God’s will, so I have to study hard on my major." So I hope that my time here will also be used for helping people to prepare to go into NK.

Victor was asked to share his testimony at a church in Daegu (about an hour away), so we went there and I was very much impressed by this church fellowship. The pastor takes no salary (because he sees so much corruption in the church today with money), and they do not take up offering. He says if he needs something, he will pray to God in private, and God will provide. They are also strongly committed to making disciples, and sending them to the ends of the earth. So I was able to meet some missionaries from Azerbaijan, and had lunch with them.

I started meeting up with Mr. Kim (see picture above) at 5am and we go to "Saebyeokgido" which is early morning prayer. We have maybe 300 students that meet at 5am to sing praises to God and to pray. It is really a blessing.

"I will do all my pleasure..." --God

"...I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me.
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country..." Isaiah 46:9-11

Was invited to dinner at a colleagues house. I've gotten to know a really great man, Mr. Kim. He will spend the first lecture just giving a sermon. That gave me the idea, that I must spend my first lecture giving my testimony and clearly laying out the gospel, and telling what Christ has done in my life. I would really appreciate your prayer for my lecture times on Monday 1:30-4:15pm KT (Sunday 11:30pm-2:15am EST, 10:30pm-1:15am CST, 8:30pm-11:15pm PST). I expect there will be students from all different backgrounds, including Muslims, etc.

new friends...

The chapel at Handong.

"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth:
for I am God, and there is none else." Isaiah 45:22

At the invocation of new freshman, we have new freshman coming from 62 countries. As they called out each name, the students from that country stood up. Everyone was surprised to see the new student from NK.

Today I met a new professor from China, Li Wei, who is not a Christian. I met three of my new students: Mokolo from Congo, Andar from Pakistan, and Daler from Tajikistan, and one more guy from Uzbekistan but can't remember his name. Please pray for these four people. I hope to invest my life into these foreigners. Several of these students have registered for my class.

birthday in Korea

"And they were astonished at his (Jesus) doctrine:
for his word was with power." Luke 4:32

I celebrated my birthday here in Korea yesterday. Andy and Mr. Kim took me to Pizza Hut. Then we went back to Mr. Kim's place to play some Bible trivia, then we watched a drama movie about the Korean war. Afterwards we spent time in prayer, and then Mr. Kim spent some time to tell us about his terrible experiences in the war as a child. I'm learning to know Koreans, one must really understand the effects of war, and especially the Korean war. It was a horrific thing and something I hope to further understand.

My time, in general, has consisted of long periods of time alone eating much Korean food (some of my favorites so far: Bibimbap, BibiMandu), with short times of very good fellowship with other brothers in Christ. The fellowship has been a real blessing.

Last Friday I attended graduation ceremony here. It was very good and glorifying to God, and some students gave some testimonies of how God led them to come here, and how their lives were changed while here. I was especially moved when we sang the hymn (축복송) as we sent them out to the world:

From time to time in life you'll find

You will face Trials of many kinds

Behold the Lord and in His love

Your strength will be restored

From deep within Just look to Him

And what beauty you will see again



Your life transformed in Him

In victory you'll sing

And praise the living King

Oh Hallelujah



God's chosen few Faithful and true

Royal priests With a royal view

We are His own a holy nation

With a heavenly home

No greater love can one man find

Than to look more deeply in His eyes



Our lives transformed in Him

In victory we'll sing

And praise the living King

Oh Hallelujah



By God's grace, I've learned to read Korean, which makes things much more interesting when I'm driving around town.

Prayer request: wisdom to teach the Bible & computer science to the students.

Americans living in NK

"Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained,
let us walk by the same rule,
let us mind the same thing."
Philippians 3:16

Sunday night, the elders of Handong International Church took me to VIPS, one of the few Western restaurants in Pusan. On the way back, I was talking with Mark. He was telling me about these for Americans that defected to NK in 1960, thinking that they would be granted asylum in Russia. Then today, I was walking through the library and just happened to pick up a magazine which had no hint of anything about NK on the front (it was talking about globalization rankings) but as a was looking through it there was an article about this guy Charles Jenkins, who lived in NK for 39 years. As I was reading about him, I was more astonished to find out about Joe Dresnok, who has been there even longer and has no intentions of leaving. The amazing thing is that he had a son there, who is a white NK with blond hair. This son has aspirations of being a NK diplomat, and is being educated at one of the top schools in Pyongyang. However, I was most interested to learn the experience of a white man living in NK.

ps. Monday night, Victor took Andy and I out to a restaurant in a nearby village. They served us silk worms. I just couldn't make myself eat them.

Koinonia with brothers

"For he that is mighty hath done to me great things,
and holy is his name." Luke 1:49

Had a wonderful time of fellowship and unity with Victor, a Law school professor, talking about our futures. We are of the same mind and of the same spirit and had such a good time in prayer. Randy had been praying for another like-minded brother that I could fellowship while I was here. The first 2 out of 3 people I met when I came to Handong were Andy and Victor, who are my age and unmarried, and both really love the Lord. We have a great time of fellowship together and pray together and usually get a chance to talk with Korean peoples whereever we go.

Handong: the school in the wilderness

"Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19


See a Satellite image of Handong Global University. You can zoom in/out or click on "wikimapia" on the top right to get a full navigatable image.

the Navigator in the hospital

"...thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thinge heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children..."
Deuteronomy 6:5-7

I was in the hospital in Pohang today getting my entrance physical. While I was waiting, I was reviewing my verse cards. Some nurse came up to me and asked me what I was doing. I said I was memorizing Bible verses. She told me that she was a "Navigator" and that she was also teaching others to do that.

faculty retreat at Danyang

"I (Jesus) entered into thine house,
thou gavest me no water for my feet:
but she washed my feet with tears,
and wiped them with the hairs of her head." Luke 7:44

Me and Andy (see Andy's blog).


Victor and Me.

We had a faculty/staff retreat in Danyang for 3 days. Here is the picture of all of the faculty and staff together. It was a great time of fellowship.

praying for NK

"For with God, nothing shall be impossible."
Luke 2:37

I have been NK for about year now.

When I arrived in S. Korea, the first three days I actually spent in Danyang, S. Korea. Tuesday morning, I had breakfast with President Kim, president of the university. He told me that Pyongyang University of Science & Technology had requested for Handong University to send a group of professors to NK to teach an intensive 3-4 week course. They were wanting professors in Law, MBA, and IT (information technology).

Finally here

Just got here last night. It's been a long ride: Jackson, MS -> Houston, TX -> San Francisco, CA -> Los Angeles, CA -> Seoul, Korea -> Pohang, Korea, and today leaving for Danyang, Korea for a faculty retreat. The airlines lost both of my suitcases... which means that Ive been in the same clothes for at least four days. God has been so good. I didn't know I had to go to Houston to get my VISA before I left. I just "happened' to decide to fly out from there, so I could see my mom before I left. I came in Sunday afternoon, went to the embassy on Monday morning, they had my VISA ready Wednesday afternoon, I left for my trip Thursday morning "just in time". The taxi cab driver from the airport must have been a retired Formula 1 driver. We were doing 120km/hr through downtown Pohang. I didn't know if I was going to make it!!!Now I'm staying at the International House. Good thing is they make everyone speak English. It's a 500 Won fine if your caught not speaking in English. Good for me!

Handong Global University... my dorm is in the top left of picture.
Korean towels are what we would call a hand towel. Anyway, it works. My mattress is one inch thick. The floors are heated here, so I'm warm.When I got to campus I first met Andy and Victor, both from Canada. They love the Lord and are part of the "monks club" like me.Thats all for now. Verse of the day: "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;"1 Peter 1:13

the donation

"For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."
Psalm 50:10

It was the January 17th, I was in California working at ICR and staying with a Christian family. I was planning to book my ticket on January 18th so that I would be 21 days in advance but I did not yet have enough money in my bank account to go to Korea. (I had just payed my quarterly taxes on January 15th, which means I had only 2 or 300 dollars to my name). I was in my room crying out to God that He would provide for my trip to Korea. I reminded Him that He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10). I came out of my room and sat down and started talking with John. At that time, without me saying a word, he just pulled out his check book and wrote a check for $2000. He said this is for the work you will do in Korea for ACGR (Association of Christian Graduate Researchers). I was very thankful. But later when I went back to my room, I felt guilty for taking the money. (I have a conviction that I do not take money from customers until the work is completed, because the scriptures say "Owe no man anything..." Romans 13:8). The next day reluctantly, I told John that I did not feel right to take the money. But he said, that's fine, just think of it as a donation for your work in Korea. So praise God!

the anonymous letter

"When He putteth forth His own sheep,
He goeth beore them..." John 10:4

From journal entry on 11/19/2006:

"Jayapradha, known as the maiden mystic of India, a Christian gurujati, came to my house to preach the gospel to a number of international students. Afterwards, she told me she wanted to talk with me. She told me she really didn't think I should go to Korea.

This morning now I am very discouraged. It seems that God has clearly led me to go to Korea. Then I met Josh in the bakery. I told him my frustrations. He asked me what verse God showed me to go to Korea. This only made me more frustrated. So I really prayed to God (actually I told Him I was mad at Him, sorry, because We had a deal that I would go whereever He wanted me to go as long as it was very clear that that was His will). I just asked Him to make the path very clear and show me from His word.

At 1:15pm that same day, I went to the post office to get my mail. There, I received my first and only anonymous letter:

"Wes, We were singing hymns in the morning before the Bible and the LORD turned my thoughts to what you and others were doing in Korea. We pray for the work being done there every morning and this hymn seemd to suit the situation. I just wanted to share it with you... Savior, Like a Shepherd lead us. John 10:4 'When He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them...'. I hope this encouraging. Praise the LORD for the work He is doing through you. --Anonymous"

the fleece

"And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water." Judges 6:36-38

Journal entry on 10/12/2006:

"God, if this house sells, I will know that I am supposed to leave and my ministry is done here."

10/26/06
"Just found out the house sold!" Note: this house was on the market for 1.5 years with Coldwell Banker, with no serious offers. Clarence had taken the house completely off the market. It had been off the market for 2 months, when someone decided to make an offer on a house that was not for sale.

a call from the president

Journal entry on 9/2/2006:
"Handong University President Young-Gil Kim calls me on my cell phone. He said that they had all been praying for me at Handong and was certain that I am the one to fill their faculty position. Praise God!"

Again when I returned home to Mississippi the president calls me again on my cell phone to encourage me to come.

"Come, teach at Handong"

"So I prayed to the God of heaven... And the king said unto me, ... For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time... And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me."
Nehemiah 2:4,6,8

I was very surprised when the president of Handong University asked me to come to Handong. I put it out of my mind. I thought there is no reason I should come to South Korea, it is one of the most Christian nations in the world. While I was on the plane ride back to America, I was praying to God and also reading through my normal Bible reading plan in Nehemiah 2. For about 5 years I have been praying about moving to Asia, but I would not move without the support of my church pastor and elders. My pastor didn't seem supportive to send me to China or others places, so I was very negative about them wanting to send me off to Korea. But when I read Nehemiah 2, it was like God was saying see what Nehemiah did. He went before the king and God's hand was with him, and God gave him favor.

So when I returned to the states, I talked about everything that had happened on my trip, but never mentioned anything about Nehemiah 2. But after I finished, my pastor read from Nehemiah 2, and I knew God's hand was with me.

When I talked alone with my pastor, he said everything looked very good, but one thing he was concerned.... Clarence's house. (I have been taking care of a house of a friend of mine for over a year, until it would eventually sell. It as a half-million dollar antebellum home. We have used it as a discipleship house for international students to stay. Although it was on the market for over a year, there were no serious offers so Clarence took it off the market. If I was to go to Korea the house must sell.) For what happened, see "the fleece".

beginning the fulfillment of the heavenly vision

Exactly one year after the vision we held a prayer meeting for North Korea. At that prayer meeting, I met SJP, a South Korean professor. After that meeting, SJP went to one conference near Washington DC. At that conference, he happened to meet President Kim, president of Handong Global University. He went to another conference on the west coast. At that conference, he happened to meet a person who personally knew the president of the Korean Association of Creation Research. From these two meetings, SJP planned a trip to S. Korea.

Shortly after that I was in California at ICR. When the faculty at ICR heard about the amazing sequence of events, they thought it so necessary that someone representing ICR go with them. They asked me to go with only 6 days notice. I accepted.

When I came to Handong University, I realized that the vision I had one year before I could see now in reality with my own eyes. I saw the beautiful rice fields exactly how I had seen in the vision.

the Heavenly vision

"And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them." Acts 16:9-10

On August 15, 2005 while I was praying in Memphis at my friend Bill's house, I fell into a trance, and saw a vision of a little child standing in a rice field in a foreign land, telling me to come and follow.

Exactly one year later to the day (unknown to me at that time), several brothers organized a community fasting and prayer event for North Korea. August 15th is that national day of prayer and fasting for N. Korea. It is also independence day for both N. and S. Korea.