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RESOURCES
Msn. Joy Jang's life testimony
My life testimony
Key verse: Romans 1:5
Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call
people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
Part 1. Wondering life without purpose
I was born in 1976 as a 2nd daughter among one brother and two sisters. My parents sincerely loved us and sacrificed a lot to raise us. I studied hard and became a honor student to please my parents. My mom was diagnosed with cancer when I was in Junior high and she later passed away during the summer when I was senior high. But instead of being overwhelmed by the sorrow God helped me to study continuously and finally I entered into Nursing school in Catholic University. However I was not satisfied with my major because I wanted to get into medical school or one of the prestigious Universities in Korea. I started to enjoy my campus life since I got involved with two campus groups. One group that played traditional Korean instruments and drank together daily. That group especially drew my attention because I felt some affection and love from the people there. We hung around everyday and drank until late at night. It made people confused and useless. I stopped studying and drank everyday. I had attended church from when I was a little kid and following my grandmother and God gave me peace through worship after my mom died, but I stopped going to church to focus on group activities only. Sometimes I felt a sense of emptiness. But I didn’t know the reason of emptiness and what I could do for it.
Part2. For his name’s sake
When I was a sophomore, through one classmate, God had mercy on me and invited me to John’s Gospel Academy . I was impressed by their bright smiles and hospitality but I neglected to study the Bible. I was invited to the Academy a second time and I agreed to study the Bible. Through one on one Bible study, I experienced peace like a calming sea and I desired to attend the Summer Bible Conference. At the 1996 Summer Bible Conference, God gave deep peace through one word Matthew 9:2“ Take heart Son, Your sins are forgiven” In 1998, I wrote my life testimony and based my life key verse on Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”, and John 4:13,14 “Jesus answered everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” While I was writing my life testimony, I found my old self who was wandering endlessly without a shepherd and I accepted Jesus as my true shepherd and decided to follow Jesus the rest of my life. I tasted deep joy which sprang up in my heart.
I met my God who saved me from my meaningless and purposeless life and which I pursued only love and recognition of men and became thirsty and weary. When I met my savior Jesus, I experienced unutterable joy and peace and everything looked new to me, wow!
I decided to be a shepherdess for God’s flock based on this grace of God. I was able to get a job during the Korean financial crisis when other people were out of work.
God trained me to hold on to God’s words by being bullyed by by the other senior nurses in the hospital. I deeply despaired about human love and only depended on God. I attended Sunday worship Service with absolute dedication despite three schedule shifts. I learned absolute dedication toward God.
When the Shepherds and Shepherdesses who had served Catholic University together decided to no longer serve their campus mission and left. It was like a big storm to me. But I held on to Romans 1:5 and made sure his calling as God’s absolute sovereignty on my life through the help of Shepherdess Kyung Hee Suh. God sent a new house church, Shepherd Dongjin and Shepherdess Hea Kyung to Catholic University and helped me to learn their faithfulness and absoluteness . At that time I took the American R.N. exam without much preparation hoping for a lucky chance because I thought that God would help me because of my world mission. But I failed. I stared to wander again after disobeying God’s direction to receive full time shepherdess training. I felt guilty. In 2005, I finally repented my sin to depend on worldly false security and I quit my job which I had worked for 5 years and decided to receive full time training and waited for new direction from God. In July, 2005 I took the RN test again. This time I repented. And instead, I held on to Hebrew 11:29 “ By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.” I passed RN test easily even though I took class for a month while other had to take three months. Everybody was surprised, especially my teacher who worried about my weird questions and lack of classes. By God’s grace, I passed the RN test with a good score.
God blessed the Catholic pioneering work. All my coworkers became to have Bible students and 4 students attended lunch meeting faithfully. God sent 2nd generation shepherdess Ji Eun Huh to Catholic medical school and we had a great vision to have many spiritual descents like stars through her. I served Hea Jung Lee who was a nursing school student and she began to attend Sunday worship service.
In the end of 2005, I was 30 years old and I still had many unsolved problems and I complained to God “ What did you give me?” forgetting all the grace God has done for me. Then God trained me through my brother. He was deeply sick with dependence and paranoid thinking. He cursed my family and even became violent. He threatened me that he will make a commotion at the church if I didn’t give him money. I could not depend on anyone but God. I knelt down before God and cried out to God. God miraculously turned my brother’s heart and helped him to repent and study the Bible. God touched my heart with John 8:31,32 “31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
I realized that our fundamental problem is a sin problem and Only Jesus is the truth that sets us free from sin. I was like Nicodemus did that I kept doubting the power of the cross and idolized my own reasons and did not accept the love of God deepy through Jesus. I repented my ignorance and spiritual arrogance through 1 corinthians “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
I repented that I was the very one who crucified Jesus with my spiritual ignorance and pride and unbelief .
God gave me my training name such as a Speedy, Joy through Shepherdess Kyung Hee Suh so that I can be changed in to speedy and joyful person and make others joyful too. I vowed if God changed my brother, I would go anywhere as a missionary. God listened to my vow and changed my brother. And God opened the way to go to Memphis. I was afraid of God’s speedy decision to send me to Memphis. But God helped me to obey simply without any calculation through Hebrew 11:6 “ 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Mark 11:22 “Have[a] faith in God," Jesus answered.” Romans 1:5 “5Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
I praised God! He saved me from ignorance and arrogance and fatalism. I would have lived with the fruit of sin and died and received eternal condemnation and gone to hell. Jesus saved me through his holy blood and crowned me as a missionary which even the angels would loved to be.
I pray that I may bear his grace of salvation and blessings through serving God’s mission in Memphis faithfully and wholeheartedly.
One word: I am here for his name’s sake.
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