*Transition is a normal part of life for a Third Culture Kid (TCK), but that doesn’t mean that it is easy by any means. When it is time to leave for college, a young person can experience a variety of emotions but traveling overseas to begin this exciting adventure can add many more dynamics. Pray for two young men as they begin college this fall. Pray for the right roommates, wisdom for decisions in what courses and activities to pursue. Pray for good relationships to form that will inspire, encourage and bless them. Pray for their families as they release their son and brother and that God will grow all of them through this time of transition.

*”In 52 days, Nehemiah led his people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, restore a nation, and revive a people. It was a short-term project that had eternal results.” This is an introduction of what Nehemiah Teams are all about – leading the next generation to go to hard to reach and unreached areas on short term mission projects that have eternal results. Pray for six Korean students who will go to the Philippines in June and July to minister as part of the Nehemiah Teams program.  This is the second year for Korean Nehemiah Teams to be sent to the Philippines. Pray for a good adjustment, teachable spirit and many opportunities to share the love of God with Filipinos.

 *Young men and women are coming to teach English in South Korean schools. With the great emphasis on learning English, the government has a new program of sponsoring English teachers with a monthly salary, travel expenses and insurance coverage. Several graduating college students are coming for a year to teach and minister. Pray for good relationships to form quickly, cultural adjustment to be smooth, connections in local churches to be positive as they minister on weekends and for God to equip them with insight and grace to share His love in any situation that they will face.

*Praise God all the Nehemiah Team materials have now been translated into the Korean language.  English has been a barrier to enlisting Korean students to serve on Nehemiah Teams. Ask the Lord of the harvest to call out many Korean students to serve on Nehemiah Teams.

 *The packing is done and the flight is over. Now Phil and Helaine H face the joy and challenge of a short stateside where they desire to meet many new prayer partners, connect with churches and family and regroup for the next term. Ask God to refresh, encourage and equip them for the ministry ahead. Pray that the four sons will have opportunities to build new relationships and grow spiritually.

*After months of praying and discerning His will, Seoul International Baptist Church gladly welcomed their new full-time pastor and wife, Dan and Sherry in May. Now learning where to buy groceries, transportation, cultural differences, names of members, ministry plans and all that takes place in a new assignment and ministry is before them. Pray that God will grace them with joy and peace as they wake up each new day with much opportunity to connect, learn and minister in their new home country of Korea.

*Give thanks to the Father for calling out six U.S. students who are coming to serve for two months this summer on Korea Nehemiah Teams to work with refugees and on other projects. Pray that God will mightily use these young people’s lives to bring hope and love to those who are desperate to know love and truth.

 *Time to pack that bag, get on the plane and bus and head for the fun at Centrifuge camp. Pray that travel will be safe, kids will be ready to grow and experience all God has planned for them, souls will be saved and others will go deeper with the Lord. Ask God to do a new work and miracles in the lives of all participants at Centrifuge from the youngest kid to the oldest adult.

 *Give thanks for the four-man Korean-American visioning team that recently visited Japan. They want to send volunteers to Japan from two specific churches in the States this Fall and have plans to translate into Korean a monthly prayer letter with strategic requests to lift up the people of Japan for the stateside churches as well as for the Korean WMU. The team also envisions in the coming months putting together 40 days of prayer for Korean churches in the States to pray for Japan. Give thanks for the way God is calling out Korean individuals and churches as vessels of intercessory prayer for the lost in the Pacific Rim Region.

*Pray for the six Kentucky WMU English Camp volunteers who are preparing to travel to Korea July 31 - August 17.  Pray for their preparations for the camps, as well as for the children and youth who will be attending.  Pray that a strong witness for Christ will be made through the camps. 

                                    June/July Birthday and Anniversary Calendar

June

20        Noah H*

27        Phil and Helaine H Anniversary

July

13        Grace S*

18        Lauren L*

25        Frank H

*TCKs

*Pastor J and his wife of YS Church are prayerfully considering starting an English music class every other Saturday when the Korean neighborhood kids are off from school.  Phala, a Baptist worker, has acquired several different English music options for students to help in facilitating the Saturday music class.  Please pray for Pastor J, his wife, and Phala as they seek to broaden the impact of the church in the neighborhood.

*Stateside assignment is a time of connecting with churches and intercessors and sharing what God is doing in our part of the world. Often it is a needed time for renewing, encouraging, equipping and evaluating for workers. Pray for Phil and Helaine and their four sons as they leave this month for a short stateside assignment. Ask God to meet their needs and to bless them with many new intercessors.

*The Korean government is hiring English-speaking teachers to teach in local schools. English is a much sought after skill and opens many doors. Pray for Sam and Lucy from Tennessee and Mississippi, as they have arrived and jumped immediately into a busy schedule. Pray that they will find time to explore their communities, know where to purchase necessities, build good relationships and overcome their homesickness. Pray that God will send people of encouragement their way and they will see much fruit during their year of teaching and ministering in Korea.

*During May ten new English teachers will be arriving in Korea. These college graduates will experience a cross-cultural experience for the first time. Many new relationships will form and opportunities to be light and salt will be available. Pray that these young people will quickly adjust to different foods, roommates, classroom expectations and culture. Ask God to provide one good friend who will be a “Barnabas,” encourager and listener, as they adjust and discover all God has planned for them in this unique job and ministry opportunity.

*During the last week of May, Seoul International Baptist Church will welcome their new full-time pastor, Pastor Dan and Sherry. Pray for the many preparations for their arrival and the goodbyes for Dan and Sherry. One of their sons will be graduating from high school this month. They have served on volunteer trips, but this will be their first full-time overseas ministry. Ask God to give them wisdom and understanding as they unite with the church and begin the ministry in Seoul. Pray for their family in the States as they release them and say goodbye.

*Give thanks for Tali D who completed her assignment last month and prepares to return to the U.S. early this month. Give thanks for Tali’s faithful, dedicated service helping homeschool Phil and Helaine’s children as well as her ministry to Koreans on Jeju Island as part of the team.

*Homeschooling has become a good option for some Korean families. Three U.S.

homeschooling families have come to Korea to assist in developing curriculum and establishing a strong homeschooling network base.  Pray for a good curriculum to be developed that will enable Korean families who live overseas, such as missionaries, to provide a good education for their children. Pray that fathers and mothers will know the anointing and grace that only God can give in this endeavor and that Korean families will be strong and used greatly in His work.

*When Tim met a young man from Sri Lanka, the young man quickly shared that he was a Buddhist. He has been visiting an international church and even brought two of his friends recently. Tim asked them to share about their Buddhist faith and then they listened to him share about Christianity. As overseas workers, these young men are lonely, open to learning new things, and eager to make new friends. Pray that they will be open to the truth and a good relationship can form between them and Tim. Ask God to save these men and then use them back in their home country to bring the good news to thousands who are lost.

*Plans are underway for the June Centrifuge camp. Last year over 190 students enjoyed a week of learning, fun and growing experiences. Kids from middle school through high school can attend. Some come for social reasons, but quickly discover God’s love and learn how they can know him personally. For those who are believers it is a great week to grow and be changed. Pray for the eight U.S. Centrifuge staff as they prepare for this year’s camp and travel to Korea. Ask God to prepare the hearts of each youth to know Him in a deep personal way and to experience life changes during this week.

*This is an important month of transition for the Jeju Team since all the members are either going on stateside assignment, finishing their term, or heading to new places for a few months.  For about six months, there will not be anyone now serving on the team living on Jeju Island.  Pray that as team members prepare for this transition, God will show them leaders to continue some of the work that has been done the last few months.

*Praise God for the opening to develop friendships last month with eight ladies, who work in a local Jeju market, when they came for a dinner hosted by Baptist workers where they enjoyed a good meal and a clear presentation of the gospel. Pray that God will continue to work in the hearts of these women drawing them to Himself while caring Christians who have been sharing with them are away from the island for the next several months. Ask that these women who work in the market will seek the truth and know Jesus as their Savior.

                                    May Birthday and Anniversary Calendar

17        Joe and Ann L’s Anniversary

KOREA TRIP UPDATE
July 31 - August 17, 2008
To teach English Camps in Korea with Children & Youth

The Korea Home Mission Board has asked us to extend the time to enlist a team. They still hope that we can send 12 people and are offering financial assistance.

After reviewing the airfare at this time, adding in trip cancellation insurance, medical insurance, and training expenses, the trip cost is projected to be $1900 less a $400 per person scholarship from Korea Home Mission Board. Final cost: $1500. Please help us spread this word. Stacy Nall, our Camp Director and leader of the 2007 team, will lead the team again this year. Due to Stacy’s schedule with camp, applications and a $500 deposit must be received by April 30, 2008.

Stacy will contact applicants about the traininng/orientation schedule.

The National WMU Annual Meeting is coming to Indianapolis, Indiana, June 8-9.  The meeting will begin differently this year with a special dinner at 6:00 p.m. in the Hyatt Regency Cosmopolitan Ballroom.  Reservations are required. Guest speaker: Dr. Frank Page, President, Southern Baptist Convention.

A limited number of tickets at three Kentucky tables are available on a first come, first served basis.  Tickets are $35 each and may be purchased from Kentucky WMU.  Call Wendy Stout at 866-489-3534 to check availability.  We have been guaranteed seating near the front.  Join with others from Kentucky at this special event.

For more information about the national WMU meeting, including ticket orders for the dinner in general seating ($30 each), go to http://www.wmu.com/events/missioncelebration08.asp

*Continue to pray for opportunities to build friendships with the ladies selling vegetables in a market area of Jeju City.  After some Christian materials were distributed, the team discovered that there are a few Christians among this group.  Pray with the Jeju Team that the women in the marketplace will continue to be open to letting believers share with them. Pray that the Christian materials will be read and stir a hunger to seek the Truth.

*The study of English is a high priority for most Koreans at present. The South Korean government has implemented a program to secure English teachers for every public school in Korea. With an open door set before us, pray that many college graduates and/or retired teachers with the skills to teach basic English would catch a vision for coming to Korea for one year or more. Although the government pays a good monthly salary, transportation costs and insurance, the benefits are eternal, as one invests their life in sharing His love with hundreds of children and families. Pray that many will respond to the opportunity to make a difference for Christ in South Korea.

* Praise the Lord that Hannah W and Jenny H were able to teach a prayer walking seminar at the Korean Strategy Coordinator training for Korean missionary leaders of various denominations held last month. Pray the prayer walking training will be practiced in many churches across South Korea to intercede for the lost.

*Strategy Coordinator’s Training includes teaching on training others, developing a plan for multiplying churches, New Testament discipleship patterns, church planting plans, working with local partners, persecution, security and much more.  Recently nineteen Koreans participated in a Strategy Coordinator’s Training for ten days. Pray that these participants will process all that was heard and learned in ways that will be reproducible. Pray for new strategies that will accelerate the gospel reaching the unreached in the world.

*Sue P is teaching two English classes a week; one class is for women and one is for students.  Pray that, as she teaches, her students will understand the Gospel message and see their need to accept Jesus. 

*This is an important month of transition for the Jeju Team since all the members are either going on stateside assignment, finishing their term, or heading to new places for a few months.  For about six months, there will not be anyone now serving on the team living on Jeju Island.  Pray that as team members prepare for this transition, God will show them leaders to continue some of the work that has been done the last few months.

*Mobilizers seeking to create strategic opportunities for the gospel met last month at an Asian Mobilization meeting. They discussed better ways and strategies to facilitate good connections for the Kingdom work. In answer to your prayers, God brought new insight and direction to participants to impact mobilization of God’s workers and resources.

*Home-schooling is new to most Koreans. Yet some moms are moving from their careers back into their home for the purpose of teaching their children. Home-schooling networks are springing up and curriculum is being translated and written in Korean. Two home-schooling families from the US have moved to Korea to facilitate training and ministry to families with the necessary skills and equipping to be successful in their home-schooling endeavors. Several Korean missionary sending agencies have expressed the need for home-schooling training and options for their personnel. Pray that God will equip parents with the knowledge, patience, encouragement and faith to be successful in home-schooling. Pray that home-schooling options will allow families more freedom to go to lost people groups and flexibility in ministry opportunities.

*Continue to lift up plans for an annual meeting this year. This is a special time of spiritual renewal, fellowship and training. Ask God to provide the needed volunteers to serve in various ways during the summer annual meeting of workers. Pray that volunteers’ travel funds and expenses will be provided and for wisdom and discernment as the volunteers plan the program for children and youth. Lift up those on the field who serve on committees to prepare well for this important gathering.

April Birthday and Anniversary Calendar

1          Sue P

4          Alli L*

19        Sam and Connie S Anniversary

21        Joyce S*

24        Helaine H

30        Frank and Jenny H Anniversary

*TCKs

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