Choon and Yen Hee Lim
Dear Friends in Mission,
The greatest sermons I have ever heard were not preached from pulpits but have come from senior citizens during our recent Interpretation Assignment in the U.S. The deepest truths of God’s Word have often been revealed not by those who preached as a result of their seminary preparation, but by those who have experienced much suffering and have gained deep faith in God’s Word through these experiences.
During our time in the U.S., we had many opportunities to meet senior citizens with this kind of faith. The most unforgettable person we met, 94 year-old Rev. Ed Brubaker, is a member of the mission committee of First Presbyterian Church in West Chester, PA. In 2009, Presbyterian World Mission held a “Mission Challenge.” During that time we visited First Presbyterian West Chester and met the Rev. Brubaker. He invited and drove us to his retirement community apartment for dinner. We have never forgotten his words of encouragement and prayers for us and our ministry and his spirit to serve others even at that age (91).
Three years later, we visited Ed and the church again, but his health was different from the last time we visited. His pastor informed us that due to Ed’s diabetes, his right leg would have to be amputated. We were sad to hear this news and prepared for what to say and how to pray for him. But when we met him, he had the same spirit. He was peaceful, pleasant, and spiritual. He listened to stories of our missionary lives and prayed for our new mission work - Regional Liaison (RL) for East Asia covering Japan, North and South Korea, China, and Taiwan. After his prayer, we prayed for his operation.
This is only one example of the many stories we heard and experienced during our time in the U.S. this summer. These life sermons both challenged and strengthened us. We looked at ourselves and thought about how we should face our future. Furthermore, we learned how to prepare for retirement. Before meeting Ed, we thought we would have only have a few years left to serve as missionaries. But now we realize that we still have 20-30 years left to live for the light of Christ. We will remember stories like these for the rest of our lives. These examples of lives well-lived will stay with us and guide and strengthen us so that we may be better missionaries to serve our Lord, Jesus Christ. We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who provided us with such wonderful hospitality.
Our mission work as Regional Liaison for East Asia started on July 1, but we have to return to Taiwan October 31 and prepare for our move to Seoul, Korea. On November 13, we will have a seminar for three aboriginal presbyteries - Ami, Taroko, and Bunun. When we arrived in Taiwan, we realized that aboriginal churches did not have Bible study groups. I found a helpful book, See through the Scriptures, which I translated into Mandarin. This translated material will be our final gift to the three Presbyteries’ aboriginal pastors so that they can all use the Bible study materials to lead Bible study groups.
As you know, it is very hard to say goodbye to those who worked with us for more than 15 years. We pray that the people in Taiwan, especially our students, remember us as we remember Ed with thanksgiving. We are deeply thankful to you our supporting churches and individuals. We truly feel connected, working in world mission together like the chopstick mission theory. To pick up food, we need two chopsticks. And in the same way, to do world mission, we need two - one is a stationed, sending missionary and the other is a going missionary.
Please continue to pray for our new mission work and also for financial support so that more people can hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
May God be with you and protect you in spirit and body!
Together in mission,
Yen Hee and Choon Lim
choonshiklim@yahoo.com