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| August 2006 | ||||
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| Back to the Present | Banquet | President's Desk | ||
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Missionaries Marshall and Sandy Ruth worked to pioneer a ministry in South
Korea. They labored diligently with others during the 1960s, 70s and 80s to
see an outreach developed and a church born. Once the ministry was
well-established in the hands of our Korean pastor John Cheon and his wife,
Sonya, the missionaries had effectively worked themselves out of a job—the
real goal of missions! Since returning to the US in 1990, Marshall and Sandy have been ministering among Korean people on this side of the Pacific Ocean. In March of this year they made another trip to Korea, not to the ministry as they had known it, but a trip back to the present, to newer and greater things. The church is growing, an outreach to university students is now in full swing, new churches have been started and witnessing continues in the major cities. |
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Sandy Ruth (light hair) with members of the Taegu Church. Pastor Cheon is standing on the left. |
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Miss Noh had occasionally attended a Korean church in Athens, Ohio, while a student at Ohio University. When she returned to Korea, church became a thing of the past. Marshall and Sandy, who now live in Athens, met Miss Noh "by chance" on their visit to Korea! They had dinner together and went back to the Ruths' lodging where Sandy led her to Christ! The following week Miss Noh noticed that Jesus was changing her life for the better! Another student under her oversight had "messed up" in the lab where she worked. When Miss Noh asked a colleague for advice, the response was, "Show him just how angry you are at him!" In remembering her conversation with Marshall and Sandy, she chose to forgive the student instead! The result is that a new (even Christ-like) atmosphere in the lab has changed things much for the better! |
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| Sandy Ruth shares the Gospel with university students during an evangelism outreach. Marshall and Sandy speak Korean, but many students would prefer they speak in English. | |||
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A radical transformation took place at one of the finer restaurants in Seoul, where "Miss Kim" as we'll call her, is a licensed cook. She had attended the CinA church for some time, but decided that she didn’t want Jesus as Lord of her life and stopped going. She began stealing meat at the restaurant and continued doing so for several weeks. Beef is $30 a pound in Korea. She began to realize that her thievery was not paying, but costing her dearly by taking her peace of mind. As Miss Kim started to sense the Lord's conviction, she knew that restitution would need to be part of her coming back to Jesus. Miss Kim confessed her sin to her boss, paying him several hundred dollars for the stolen meat. Her boss, who is not a Christian, exclaimed, "This is true Christianity in action!" He then gave her an offering to take to the church that had taught her true Christian values! Sandy was there to rejoice with her when Miss Kim gave her boss's offering to the church along with her own "thank offering" to God. |
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Paul Lee's story is a bit longer. He was one who graduated from CinA training in Korea during the 1970s and married Esther, one of the other students. He decided to attend seminary as well and later started a church independently. Shortly after that, he walked away from God and then was diagnosed with a bi-polar disease with strong suicidal tendencies. For 30 years he went in and out of mental institutions. |
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Sandy Ruth sits Korean style with John and Sonya Cheon and other friends. |
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| Over the years Paul and Esther Lee rejected help from their fellow students from long ago, particularly John & Sonya Cheon. Earlier this year, as Paul was released yet again from a mental institution, he finally accepted their assistance! | |||
| Marshall and Sandy were at the church compound when he came to live there for two months. They could see his face contorting, a sad sight to them compared to the Paul Lee they had known before. The Cheons spent hours in Bible study and prayer with him. Paul confessed his sins and repented for the wickedness that was in his life. Immediately the facial contortions stopped. Marshall and Sandy witnessed this amazing transformation and healing. Paul has also regained the ability to work and take care of himself, things he had not done for many years. |
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| Marshall Ruth preaching while John Cheon interprets his message. | |||
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Esther came as well and confessed her sin of unbelief that she and their church had given up on her husband. "We had many precious times of fellowship," Marshall and Sandy commented, "and we really praise God for Paul's deliverance. Please pray for him as he has a long way to travel in walking obediently in the will of the Lord." God was at work in the past and He continues to build up the work in the present. Scores of lives have been changed and are still being changed for God’s glory! By means of missionaries and faithful Korean Christians, God is bringing the hope of the Gospel to people who need Him. |
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