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 Bible
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EVENTS
M. Dr. David Cho's Mission Life in America
Key verse: Genesis 12:2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”
When I was a premed freshman in college, God called me out of darkness and meaninglessness through Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the earth” and helped me to meet Jesus as my Lord and Savior through Mark 3:5 “stretch out your hand”. Then I made a decision to follow Jesus and be a campus shepherd by his grace. In Korea, God molded me to be a shepherd for American students through his divine discipline. Right after completing my ENT residency training in Korea, I got an offer from UCLA medical school as a postdoctoral research fellow. I accepted this as God’s guidance to serve American College students and came to America in October, 1997. God blessed me so much spiritually and academically when I was in LA UBF. Answering M. Isaac Kim’s long time prayer, God sent my family to pioneer UCLA. UCLA had been like a spiritual desert area before we began to pioneer. But six and half years later, when we left UCLA, there were 6 growing disciples; sheph. Charles, Nick, David, Thomas, Esther, and Cari. Later, God established two house churches among them. God also sent Eddie and his sister Marie to our family. Eddie graduated UCLA and went to Univ. of Pen. Dental School. He is now presiding the worship service in Philadelphia UBF. His sister Marie, a Harvard student, met Jesus personally through Mark 5:9 “What is your name?” and saved from pride and mental breakdown. Although she is in spiritual slump nowadays, I am sure that Jesus will complete his salvation work in her life. Personally, God did so many wonderful things in my life. God granted me a green card miraculously. I came to UCLA with J1 visa which is exchange visitor’s visa. Most of people including my first immigration lawyer believed that it was impossible to get a green card with this visa. However, I got a green card about 11 month after submitting the application. God also blessed my research so much that I could publish multiple good papers and become a research faculty member at UCLA even though I didn’t have any research experience in Korea. Later, God opened my eyes to see a big picture in my mission life as a layman missionary so that he made me to decide to get a medical license. When I began to prepare the US Medical licensing exams, it had been 14 years since I graduated my medical school. It was very challenging to recall what I learned in medical school all over again. I still had a full time research job at UCLA and also needed to serve UCLA fellowship as a fellowship leader. God gave me Heb. 11:29 “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land”, and helped me to pass through all the red seas by faith. By God’s grace, I could pass the USMLE exams one by one. The next red sea was to enter a residency program. Most of programs don’t accept foreign medical graduates who graduated medical school more than 5 years ago. However, God opened the way miraculously and UT Internal medicine program offered me a pre-match position. Through this, God opened the door to pioneer Memphis TN.
My family started pioneering Memphis June 16, 2004. My pioneering key verse was Luke 9:13a “He replied, You give them something to eat.”. When I came to visit Memphis for my interview, I learned that Fedex Hub and distributing center is in Memphis. God gave me a vision that Memphis ministry may become a spiritual Fedex where many spiritual packages may be sent out to the US and beyond. For three years, God showed me a sign to answer my prayer and sent out M. John Jo’s family to Atlanta, Michael Nelson to Korea and my family to Chicago. It is still my prayer that God may make Memphis UBF as a spiritual hub to send out shepherds and missionaries. In Memphis, God blessed our family so much. Most of all, God blessed our pioneering ministry in Memphis. M. Isaac Kim from LA UBF supported us with much prayer and gave us a beautiful podium, 12 chairs, and 12 Hymn books. Mother Barry visited our house church two times and encouraged us. Dr. Sam Zun decided to have 2005 South Regional SBC at Univ. of Memphis to support our pioneering ministry. God’s servants and students came from Texas, Cincinnati, and Kansas and we had a wonderful conference. God sent two UOM students, Ron and Thao, to this conference and Ron shared his life testimony at this conference. God sent M. John and Blessing Jo’s family to Memphis from Korea. They were great encouragement to us. We tried to have campus events and meetings as many as possible to invite students to the word of God. God sent many students to each campus meetings and bible academies. Especially God blessed our first Christmas worship service 2005 abundantly. Total 29 people attended and we had a wonderful Christmas Drama by UOM students. Sh. David and Sarah Miller’s whole family from Cincinnati joined our worship service and served music programs and drama together with us. In 2006, we had the first Genesis Bible Academy in March. God sent seven UM students. Michael Nelson shared his life testimony in this academy. Michael is an adopted Korean American. He had been always sorrowful and could not find true purpose and meaning of his life due to the identity crisis. He tried to kill himself but God saved his life. He met Dr. Praise Cho and M. Blessing on UOM campus and started one to one bible study. He could find the meaning of his life and God’s love through the bible study. Later he went to Korea as a short term missionary to study Korean and to receive spiritual training in Kyungsung UBF. Among seven UOM students, there was Asil Ingram. Asil is a premed student at UOM. He lived a wild life, drinking and having parties with bad friends in Kansas when he was in high school students. But God intervened in his life and separated him from his bad friends by moving to Memphis. Then God sent Dr. Praise Cho and he began to study the Bible. He began to attend our worship service after several bible studies and never missed it except military training weekend. He became the president of Memphis UBF on campus and the presider of our worship service. Last year we joined the Midwest-Missouri Valley SBC in UIUC. God sent Asil and Michael to this conference. In the Fall last year, we had a three days bible academy on campus. Asil, Ron, Ashely delivered the messages based on John 3, Mark 2 and John 4. God raised Pieter, Jacky, and Kim as testimony speakers. At that time, Joshua Smith came to our academy and became a regular Sunday worship service attendant. Since we pioneered Memphis in June 2004, it had been little more than 2 years. At that time, we had more than five American students who were attending Sunday worship service. I was so happy and thought that a dream to raise 12 disciples in three years seemed to become true. But God’s training started. Difficult time came and some of students left for different reasons. However, in the middle of trials, Asil and Joshua remained and became our precious coworkers.
God also blessed my medical career in Memphis. Initially I thought that I could stay in Memphis after residency training as an A/I fellow because the AI division chief promised me to give a fellowship position. But he stepped down from his program director position and other professor who doesn’t like him became the program director. God had a different plan. Because of that situation, I applied other AI programs and I’ve got interview offers from 8 good programs including NIH, Uof W, U of M, and Northwestern Univ. Northwestern Univ. program was the first program I interviewed. As a matter of fact, it is very difficult to get in one of AI programs because of limited spots and good life style and income as allergist after graduation. There were 2 positions available and about 80 people applied. 20 people got interview offers and most of them were excellent internal medicine residents from prominent programs such as John’s Hopkins, Yale and Northwestern. Dr. Sarah Won told me that one of her friends at U of Chicago medical center applied this NW AI fellowship but didn’t get even an interview offer. However, the division chief and program director liked me because of my successful research and offered me a position right after interview, even when they didn’t interview 15 other candidates because it was the first day of their 4 days interview process. Moreover, they offered me a faculty position after the training. It was an extraordinary offer but I didn’t know what to do. I told them “Let me think about it.” Then I discussed with Dr. John Jun and Mother Berry. Dr. John Jun advised me to accept that offer and prayed for me to become a professor missionary at Northwestern. I was sorry that I had to leave Memphis. Dr. Praise and I prayed that God may send another shepherd family to take over Memphis ministry. God answered our prayer and sent M. Paul and Mary’s family from Arlington UBF. As I started 2007, God gave me Genesis 12:2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” In 2006, I was excited about increasing numbers. But God helped me to remember that he raised his foundation on one man Abraham. Although I have so many weaknesses and short comings, God has hope in me and has been guiding me to be a man of faith, so that he can use me as a blessing. God has trained me as a spiritual man and led me to an excellent academic program to let me smear into the core of American society with hope that I may be a light on a hill among them. God also gave me hope to be a good shepherd who has a spiritual insight to see one man as a great nation. Although some of our bible students left us, God preserved one man Asil. I pray that God may raise him as Abraham of Faith in Memphis.
My prayer topics are; 1. Memphis UBF ministry: M. Paul & Mary. Asil, Joshua, Cecilia, Maggi Hong 2. Our family may become a source of blessing and encouragement to Northwestern UBF coworkers, especially to pastor Kevin’s family and sheph David Hull’s family. 3. M Praise and I may have joint prayer time daily. 4. David Jr. and Jonathan may grow as bible teachers. 5. I may become a professor missionary at Northwestern Medical School. |
Mother Barry visited the Memphis UBF House Church.
Mother Barry visited Memphis UBF, M Paul & Mary Kim’s house church last week together with M. Paul Shin, Monica Barry and Sarah Lee on her way to Mississippi. After Dr. David & Praise Cho moved to Chicago, M. Paul and Mary Kim moved there from Texas. M. Paul studying in a Ph.D. program and M. Mary works as a pharmacist. They have two sons and one daughter (John, Pauline and Isaiah).
Ansil Ingram and Joshua Smith are growing as disciples of Jesus. They want to be campus shepherds. |
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