Sa-rang and Magnolia : Hand in HandSummer Camp 2011

August, 2011 No. 142

Boaz and HolyWaveIt started only last year with the Boaz Ministry and HolyWave Outreach ministry hand in hand inviting about 30 children in the vicinity of Disneyland, Anaheim for a week long summer camp. Kids either live with a parent, or both parents, but not in an apartment or a house. Their home is a motel to another motel when the move is necessary.

All the reasons and blames, and politics aside, our concentration is solely on working with children. The purpose is giving them unforgettable memories to last a year, or perhaps a life time to look back, pause and smile. We can’t talk about God or Jesus, and this challenges for any of church volunteers to show God’s love through our actions and attitudes. Opening up the church for the campground is sufficient for kids to know that it is God’s house. Throughout the summer camp, everyone gives the best within theirmeans and time to touch these kids’ lives. In academics, kids may not master whatever is taught, but that’s not the main focal point.

Learning and ExploringAlthough we offer three hours of academics of reading, writing, math, science and art the emphasis is not in the academics. The curriculum is set for three different groups based on their learning levels.What they will remember is the cafeteria hall with lots of warm food served by church moms with endless servings of breakfast and lunch every day. They even get personalized lunch bags for the field trips, and the FIELD

TRIPS! - beach, Knott’s Berry Farm, movies, bowling from last year.

This year we had about the same number of kids coming with a few different students; total of 26 with all perfect attendance. Perhaps the number will increase each year. They went to Crystal Cove, Knott’s Berry Farm (couldn’t get Disneyland tickets - must work on them for next year), Costco on the way to a movie theatre. Another day was a full course lunch meal at Medieval Times from donations from Sarang, and sponsors from various corporations.

Yes, we are spoiling them, and why not? There are kids who have never been to any of these places.Their eyes open wide as they see the vast blue ocean with waves crashing under their feet. They play with sand for hours without getting tired. They jump and up and down in the bus, and be told to sit down. The ratio of each class is 10:3 students and teachers, and more teachers. They won’t have time to goof around and act out since there are so many

caring adults around them to help them that they don’t need to look far for attention.

Volunteers and PlanningWithout planning ahead, the camp would be impossible. Every detail needs to be written down and signed off by the church and the school district for some may require confidentiality. Before the camp, the church and the district have meetings: working out the finance in both donations and expenses, gathering volunteers, planning curriculum, arranging transportation, asking for kitchen aid, shopping for goodies, etc. The teachers are strictly on voluntary basis and many who are off from their college and high school summer break, and a few public school teachers. Some took turns in which they shared the load by only teaching in the morning, or only chaperoning the field trips after lunch.

It doesn’t really matter who does what when all see one mission: to reach out to our neighbor’s children beyond the gates of Sarang. We create opportunities to be out locally and overseas to work with all people near and far. The great commission begins in Jerusalem: Anaheim; Judea: OC; Samaria: CA; and to the end of the earth. Mission includes all of what we do, and wherever we may be. The flip side would be that if any of the families does well by all means, they will move to a better living environment; we will have different kids. But that’s alright. We wish the families the best.

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Published by Sa-Rang Community Church / Editor: C.Y. Jung / Editor in Chief: Heidi Ahn

March 13, 2011 :: No. 141

August 2011 | www.sarang.com2

Mission Testimonies

Mission TestimoniesRed Mesa 2011Written by

Katie OhShana Chon Hannah Ahn

God continuously placed

many more prayer

topics in our hearts

and because of this, we

continued on praying

and praising until the

sun had gone down and

that we had to get ready

to board the train

Departure This summer we were blessed enough to

be a part of the NAIM Red Mesa team as

we departed for the land of Red Mesa, Utah

during the week of June 26- July 2. Through

his grace, God transformed what seemed like

a mere week into a Spirit-filled life changing

experience.

Leaving the train station as we waved good-

bye, we didn’t really know what to feel or

expect of this trip. As we prayed during a

late night Bible-reading session on the train

trip, we were reminded that this trip was for

Him and we were encouraged once more

that in His specific timing, God had already

predestined for this mission trip to be placed

in our lives, even before we took a step on this

earth, even before this earth was created!

Connecting with children During VBS, we all had the chance to meet

a few young girls who would be in our small

groups for three days. Knowing how quickly

three days can go by, we learned to show

them love and patience. We saw how most

of them weren’t the only children in their

families and usually didn’t receive much

attention. So we continually tried to talk to

them and fellowship with them.

Although at first they didn’t seem interested

at all during VBS, by the end they wanted to

finish the booklets at home, come to church

on Sunday, and stay for the night (which

they weren’t allowed to do). During VBS, God

really provided us when there was a stubborn

sandstorm that wouldn’t go away. We were so

lucky to have a church nearby because we

had to move everything back in.

Not only did God provide us with that, but

also with hardworking families and elders

that attended the church we were staying

at. If it weren’t for the people helping out,

we wouldn’t have been able to prepare

anything for VBS on time! Sadly VBS quickly

ended but we’re sure that my kids really

knew who God was and would soon accept

Him if they are not already saved. It was truly

a blessing to meet our groups.

Red MesaTeam/ E-Jr. High

www.sarang.com | August 2011 3

I will be l e a v i n g

real soon and be stepping

back into America. I am truly excited to share

what God has been doing in San Kamphaeng, Thailand with all of you who are eager to hear.

During the month of July, STEM from E-College joined me and Stephanie. I felt honored to be able to host a mission team from our home church. It was quite exciting and tiring at the same time. Both teams did an amazing job while struggling their battles to grow closer to Christ in the midst of all chaos.

STEM by far is one of the youngest groups I have received as a short term mission team. It’s always a challenge with the younger ones knowing that they’re still learning. And without a teachable heart, ministry just becomes tough. However, God really opened my eyes and helped me to see how He is using STEM to bring glory to His name. I am truly excited to see what the two teams will share with everyone at church. Please, listen to them with an open heart.

I will also be sharing when I return. My heart is racing to try to put all the pieces of memories of Thailand together in my heart and mind. I thank the Lord for giving me an urgency to debrief while I was

here. I have been debriefing for about over one or two months now and I feel ready to step back into America. Thank you for your prayers, because I truly believe that the Holy Spirit has been intervening.

I will hold off on what I want to share, so I can share the great praise reports and struggles in person. Still, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart and for sending me so I can preach the Gospel by words and action and learn to become even a more visionary missionary for the future.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Sarah Kim

Hello Mission Friends from Thailand,

This may sound so cliché but it wasn’t us teaching them

but rather them teaching us about how awesome our God

is! They also showed us a pure and innocent heart that

really loved God. Praise the Lord!

We PrayThe way God makes everything work out was displayed

perfectly during this mission trip. Our last day before

going home, we stopped by at Flagstaff, Arizona to get

some dessert. As soon as we walked in, we could really

see that something wasn’t right and that something was

off. Coming out of the shop, we all felt the heaviness in our

hearts and that’s when we knew we needed to pray. Pastor

Vivian had gathered the girls to pray together but we

ended up having to go back to the train station. The one

video shown by Pastor Joe during VBS about Sodom and

Gomorrah struck our hearts as we looked back at the town.

We e-jr. high girls gathered in a circle on our knees to pray

for them and for the city of Flagstaff. But God continuously

placed many more prayer topics in our hearts and because

of this, we continued on praying and praising until the sun

had gone down and that we had to get ready to board the

train.

Going to Red Mesa truly has been an experience that we

will never forget. The impact it has left in my life can never

be forgotten or taken away. We continue to praise and

thank the Lord for this opportunity we’ve been given to

share His love with others.

“…even though I’m many miles and hours away from

them, my prayers can still be impactful, and this is why I

must still pray.”

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Mission Testimonies

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Ojo Amarillo, the land of the Navajo people

March 13, 2011 :: No. 141

August 2011 | www.sarang.com4

Are you stressed out by fast-paced life and a list of endless things to do? How about taking a few hours in the afternoon to mingle with the nature? There are many beautiful places to go in Southern California, but it takes time and energy just to get ready to go there.Hiking on the Eaton canyon trail to the waterfall is a

surprisingly enjoyable and rejuvenating experience so near to the cities. Its trailhead is only a couple miles from the freeway. There are two ways to get to the destination - the Eaton Canyon Waterwall. Longer route (1.4 miles one way) starts at the large parking lot by the Nature Center (location #1 in the linked map). The first mile is on a dry flat trail until you reach the overhead bridge where the shorter route begins (location #8). You need to street park for the shorter route. After passing under the bridge, the trail turns a little rugged. However, even my four year old daughter had no problem blazing through it. The trail crisscrosses the stream a dozen times. The water is knee deep so if you don’t bring the water shoes, then you will have to skip over the rocks carefully, which also can be a fun family activity.After 30 minutes of fun-filled hike, you will reach a 40-foot waterfall. It’s sure to cool you down during a hot summer day. Returning is mostly down hill. Overall trip will take 2 to 3 hours. It will be one afternoon well spent.

We have “SaRangCam” cell

phone photo contest.

Sarang Bookstore or Labri

Café gift card for the winners

who send in a unique, funny,

or interesting cell phone

picture to

sarangcam@gmail.com

This contest will go on every

two months and

the winning entry will

be published on Hanaji

HolyWave (English) sections.

“SaRangCam”The Great Outdoors

SRCC – Sa Rang Community ChurchKDC – Kingdom Dream Center. Our new education campus located a mile south-east of the main campus. Currently, the 1st graders and older children have their own worship service at KDC. Shuttle bus regularly operates between the main campus.DT – Discipleship training course at Holy Wave. 9 months of intensive biblical training and spiritual formation. Class of about a dozen members is led by a pastor.Pre-DT – Pre requisite class for Discipleship training. 3 months of basic biblical training and life sharing.LT – 9 months long leadership training course to prepare the lay leaders for the service of the church. Majority becomes an upper room leader.UR – Upper Room. Small group ministry for families and NEXT young adults group at Holy Wave. Each group averages about 5 to 8 families. Sharing of food, study of God’s word and life sharing are the major agendas for this ministry.

NEXT – English speaking young adults ministry.

YES – Young Evangelical Servants. Korean speaking young adults group. E-college / K-college – English or Korean speaking college groupsE-high / K-high – English or Korean speaking high school groups.UED – Upper Elementary Department. 4-6 grade for 2nd and 4th service.EED – Early Elemantary Department. 1-3 grade for 2nd and 4th service.TED – Third service Education Department. 1-6 grade for Holywave congregation.MSN – Mok-sa-nim (a Korean term directly translated as Dear Pastor)JSN – Jip-sa-nim (a Korean term directly translated as Dear Deacon). Many of the adult members who are serving at the church are casually addressed as JSNs.JDSN – Jun-do-sa-nim (a Korean term directly translated as Dear youth or intern pastor who are not yet ordained pastors)SMN – Sa-mo-nim (a Kroean term directly translated as Dear pastor’s wife)JRN – Jang-ro-nim (a Korean term directly translated as Dear Elder)

This is the second installment of the basic

Christianity series to help you feel at home

at SRCC.

SRCC as you know stands for Sa-Rang Com-

munity Church. There are quite a few acro-

nyms that we throw around casually inside

the church, and these conversations could

sound cryptic without having the proper

knowledge of these acronyms:

SARANG DICTIONARY

CHRISTIANITY 101

Holy Wave & Sa Rang acronyms

NEWEdition

Holy Wave & Sa Rang acronyms By Justin Choi (jkchoi77@gmail.com)

Sarang Dictionary

By Justin Choi (jkchoi77@gmail.com)

www.sarang.com | August 2011 5!

I love being married. It’s so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.

Marriage is the process of finding out what kind of man your wife would have preferred.

I have a bi-color lawn: brown grass and green weeds.

Happiness is working in your own area code.

Do bankruptcy lawyers really expect to be paid?

How come wrong numbers are never busy?

Those who throw dirt are sure to lose ground.

The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

Eat American lamb. Ten million coyotes can’t be wrong. When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U C L A.

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.

The kid was already popular among teachers before he came in to my class. It’s one thing to be popular with peers and another with teachers. He totally ignored everyone, every rule, and the office. He had long hair.

I learned that reactions really don’t help dealing kids like him. Teaching is not the priority here with kids like him. All I know is showing fairness is the key with kids like him.

The first day he came and brought in his skateboard. I showed no emotions, and just told him to leave it behind my desk as matter of fact. He thanked me and took his assigned seat.

It was last year, my toughest year ever: a fence hopper who jumped over the fence - not wanting to take a spelling test; a dancer who wiggled his butt everywhere every day; a pencil loser who kept losing his and my pencils everyday with smirk on his face; and ‘student F’ who sat very quietly in the back of my classroom looking out the window or put his head down whenever he was tired. He didn’t cause enough commotion to be sent to the office: he knew how to work the system,

He never did his homework. I’d ask “Where’s

your homework? How will you graduate? Your GPA is very low” He shrugged his shoulders and put his head down. Other kids and his friends just stared at me to see what I’d do. I said calmly “Please stay after class”. No response.

I let his next class teacher know that I’d be keeping him. We just sat there saying nothing since I had my preparation period. Finally he opened his mouth. “Do you have anything to eat?” I found some crackers.

He said he doesn’t know his father; he has never seen him. He lives with his mother and a younger sibling in a same apartment with his relatives. The only outlet is to skateboard after school until his mom comes from work. He skates until night time. Mom is out of control on him. She is thankful that he actually babysits his brother for she can’t afford a babysitter. To me, he had already given up on life. His depression was way too deep for anyone to break through him. I let him go to next class with a pass.

Weeks passed by with continuous battle. Then one day, he snapped and started yelling at me and throwing things around. I asked him to step outside. With some reluctance he followed me. I got mad at him and raised my voice “It’s one thing for you to sit there and

waste your life away, but another to behave like that in my classroom. I have to teach 30 of you in there. Now, start telling me what’s going on”.

He told his story. The night before, his cousin brought some substance in the house. When it was found, he was blamed. No one believed that he was innocent. The little pride, whatever left, was again crushed. He broke down and cried bitterly. I had no words for him because he was not used to any comforting words.

I let him cry and once his sobbing ceased, I said sternly “I do believe you. As long as you are clean, make sure you don’t let anyone say otherwise. As long as you are honest to yourself, you must ignore what others have to say so that you can move on.

What I said means nothing because I don’t know how long and how much he had to defend himself. As much as I want to say “Yes, be strong and fight for yourself”, I don’t quite know how long he can last. He’s only 12 years old.

A couple of weeks later after the incident, he got expelled and left my class.

Student ‘F’

Humor

Back To the Past

By Heidi Ahn (heidiahn@yahoo.com)