Key Verse: Genesis 12:2 “You will be a blessing.”
Preface
In 2013 Joshua Yoon contributed this article and prepared some photos.Contents
- Aggressive Striving (1993-2003)
- Eye Opening and Out of Box (2004-2010)
- New Paradigm of Love and New Vision (2011-present)
1. Aggressive Striving(1993-2003)
In the middle of January, 1993 Hannah and I moved to Waterloo, Ontario from Montreal with two daughters, Hannah Love (6), Clara (2) after receiving the spiritual training in Chicago. We knew no one. We had no car, no job. The Lord graciously provided us with all we needed for our life and ministry in the new city one by one. My wife and I got a job in the same place to support the family. Soon she started her nursing program and I studied at the University of Waterloo to be a good Bible teacher for students. We were pretty busy with full time studies, part time jobs, and serving many students. We moved from one bedroom apartment to two bedroom student apartment soon. By God’s grace, I finished the Arts program and Hannah became a nurse.
In 1997 we moved to a three bedroom townhouse. Many students came but almost everybody left after the graduation. A serious question arose in me, “How long should I serve this losing business?” I felt that no one would stay in Waterloo, a small city. While struggling against doubts, a sense of loss, the Lord encouraged me with the words from Mark’s gospel, “New wine into new wineskin” and helped me to endure hardship and stay continually in the mission field. In 1997 God sent a group of new students, one of whom was Andy Stumpf, a grade 13 student. He became a new hope for the ministry. Hannah and I enjoyed the privilege of loving and serving this sincere young man who had a hunger for truth and love. We were happy to serve many students with Bible studies and delicious food. We asked God to send harvest workers. A single woman missionary went back to Korea after working with us for a while but the Lord of harvest sent six missionary families with their children, answering our prayer. My motto for the ministry at that time was “Work hard and feed 120 sheep” according to my name. I expected a greater work of God to be done. I encouraged new missionaries to seek God’s kingdom first and serve students. But my lack of deep understanding and love caused the relationship strained. For various reasons, the missionaries began to move to different cities one by one until no one was left. Almost all the faithful students also left sooner or later except Andy and Ray. It was like a fiery furnace training to me. I aggressively strove to establish a fruitful ministry. But I became discouraged and burned out.
2. Eye Opening and Out of Box (2004-2010)
While struggling with a deep sense of failure and discouragement, God began a new work in his own way. I came to believe that it was God who scattered missionaries and students out to do his own work in their lives and to reveal his glory. Working at Christian Horizons and ministering to people with developmental disabilities gradually opened my eyes to a larger body of Christ and slowly taught me how to love people. It fostered the connection to other Christians outside UBF and different Christian ministries.
While God was slowly changing my view of the world, the ministry and the people, He did his own work in several people. Andy continued to grow in his personal relationship with God and was married to a beautiful American woman Jennifer. God blessed them with three children and honoured Andy to receive a PhD in philosophy. God blessed Ray Grondin to marry Tsukasa , gave them two boys and sent them to Japan as missionaries. God blessed Monica’s decision to stay in Waterloo and soon led her to find a full time job and to establish a family with Paul Bae who responded to God’s call to a missionary life in Canada. God blessed them with two lovely children. Sarah in spite of many ups and downs stayed faithful to God’s call and became a nurse missionary. According to our first vision statement, we decided to send students out with blessings according to God’s leading and calling: Ryan, Ian, Matthew, Angel, Laura, Elsa, Christina are still connected to us though they went to different cities according to their jobs. God blessed our prayer road trip to the Western provinces (2006) and to the Eastern provinces (2010) with a great vision for this country.
Hannah and I did not spend much time with our own children, Hannah Love, Clara and Sam due to our busy schedule and our ministry responsibilities. We did not know how to love and nurture our own children while trying to serve the ministry. Our priority was the students in the ministry, not my own children for a long time. In fear and ignorance I tried to keep them within the boundary of UBF ministry. But God gave me faith to trust them in His loving and secure hand and to let them go into the bigger world. Then God took a good care of them and led them to meet their own God personally. Through Hannah Love and Clara, the Spirit of God blew fresh wind and we became connected to different ministries outside UBF, which became a huge blessing to us. By attending different conferences, listening to other pastors’ sermons and teachings, God opened our hearts to receive new revelations and our eyes to greater things He was going to do through us.
God also made our ministry a blessing to other countries like Bolivia, Uganda, Ukraine, Kenya, Bangladesh, Ecuador and China through several members’ short term mission trips.
3. New Paradigm of Love and New Vision (2011-present)
The Spirit revealed what was the most important in life and ministry and led us to rewrite a vision statement to be centred in love in 2011. All the leaders and many students participated in capturing this new vision “We desire to be a Christ-centered, Spirit-filled community of people who, fueled by God’s love for us, love God, one another and the world around us with all we are.”
In January 2012 we moved from the rental house near UW in a quiet neighbourhood to a former music studio in Uptown Waterloo right beside the dance bar. This was a big move. Through this move, God moved our hearts for our community and city beyond the campus. We set up several teams. Many young people willingly and joyfully participated in the team ministry. Leonard, Kris, Meredith, Marian, Mariah, Emily, Estella, Scott, Michael, David, Joseph, Rueben, Michelle, Grace, Valerie, Brodie, Rachel, David, Josh, Katie and so on. SOW (Seed of Waterloo), the student club experienced much growth since the students took the full leadership in 2010. Many students came to Christ through the club meetings and the involvement in the church. 2012 became a pivotal year in the history of Waterloo UBF in that there were major breakthroughs, especially in my life and family through “I AM” Spring retreat, and Jesus Culture Conference in New York City in June and Leaders’ retreat in Pennsylvania in August. The Holy Spirit worked powerfully in many people’s hearts and manifested his mighty presence. For the first time I testified God’s grace upon my wife freely with my family and my church family. Throughout the summer the Lord revealed his love and power and many of us experienced deliverance from the bondage of sins, the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation and unity. In the fall we continually experienced the Father’s love and heart. The climax of His work was the Well conference at the end of the year. Most of regular members went to the Well and met God as Abba Father. Many people experienced their orphan spirit displaced when they received the Father’s love. We deeply learned that we don’t have to strive for approval. All we have to do is to receive Father’s love as his sons and daughters and give it to others.
2013 is a meaningful year for us. After 20 years of laying the foundations and recently joining the wave of the Spirit, we are entering a new decade. I am taking a Sabbatical year and Andy will be an acting pastor. One of my goals is to experience the baptism of love so I can live from love and be a spiritual father to many people. We believe God will do more new things this year as Andy takes his new role as a pastor. We are here to follow his leading and to do what he is doing. We are excited to see great things our Father God will do for us. Our prayer is that God may pour our his love into our hearts by the Spirit . When we receive love from him and give it others, the love of God will flow into our schools, work places, community and city.