Sabbatical

I am starting my 2nd and final portion of my sabbatical. I will return to SLO in a couple weeks later for few days and then I will return a month later (end of November). I am very thankful that our church allows me to take this time off to recharge and experience renewal for next 10 years (I will write about this later) of best ministry ever. I thank God for giving me this opportunity and thank every member of our church who cheers for me to do well.

I have been pastoring one church for past 24 years. I have taken a sabbatical in 2013 and we didn’t get to do much as I really didn’t know what I needed to do. Applying for Lilly clergy renewal grant help me to understand why and how of sabbatical. It helped me to think through what God wanted me to do during the sabbatical.

First part of my sabbatical was taking a family trip to build our cultural roots. We went to Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Macau. We got to see many parts of these beautiful countries and got to meet many members of our families. Because we have spent 5 weeks in proximity, we got to know one another and be close with our family. That was a very precious moment in our lives that I will always cherish. One highlight was that I found out my son did not like sweet potatoes. It was hilarious having conversations about this topic. Another highlight was our visit to foreign missionary cemetery in Korea. That was very moving seeing all these missionaries who have paid the cost of their lives to spread the gospel in Korea.

Today, Elaine and I are flying out to do the tour of Israel and steps of Paul. I am super excited. My wife is not as excited as I am (hahaha). We will visit Turkey and Greece as Paul went there in his missionary journeys. As many people have shared with me regarding this, I am hoping that the Bible will come alive as I walk and breathe the air in Israel. I hope and pray that my preaching and teaching will be 10 times better when I come back. I hope and pray that we experience renewal as we travel to Isarael.

In November, Elaine and I will do an internship at New Life Fellowship in Houston. This is where we learned about House Church Ministry 10 years ago. We hope to learn more about it so I can better equip our church for this ministry. We will visit few friends in Texas then return home late November. We will rest few days and be excited to get back to our church and see all of our church members. Please pray for us.

Again, I am very thankful for this opportunity and I thank God and Journey Christian Fellowship for giving me this wonderful opportunity for renewal.

with a huge grateful heart

-pys-