Deborah, Judith, Kay Heem, Sok Sin
On 16 November 2023, four of us — Deborah, Judith, Deacon Chan and Sok Sin — accompanied Pastor on a trip to Kenya and Tanzania to visit our missionaries serving in the bible colleges of East Africa. Thank God for journey mercies and weather conditions that were perfect for our itineraries. God is good!
From this trip, we learnt that our missionaries in both BCEA Kenya and Tanzania work very hard. For their work is not confined to shepherding the campus church, helping the community in the neighbourhood, and teaching in the bible college. A more laborious and resource-consuming work is making the campus livable for the students and lecturers, and providing what they need to do God’s work.
At the BCEA Tanzania, which was founded by Rev Kim in 2006, Rev Park has to take care of the needs of the students, faculty members and their families. With limited personal resources and no help from the government, Rev Park works and prays doubly hard. He wakes up early morning every day to pray! By the grace of God, Rev Park has accomplished much since he joined as Principal of BCEA Tanzania in 2014.
Because the basic infrastructure and utilities provided by the Tanzanian government are inadequate, Rev Park installed a generator so that there is an uninterrupted supply of electricity for the students to study at night. Every time the electricity is cut, he turns on the generator. When the electricity is back, a red bulb will light up. This is a signal for Rev Park to turn off the generator. He also managed to source water from the mountain and channel it to the college. Solar energy is used to heat the water in a tank for hot showers. When we were there, Rev Park would turn on the pump so that we could have a hot shower. He would then turn off the pump when we were all done. It was an experience for us. We have taken hot water for granted.
Rev Park built a girls’ dormitory, named Ivy House, for the female students to have a safe place to stay; and a library, named Stephen Library, for the students to study and do research. He also built living quarters for faculty members and their families as well as for visiting missionaries. To reach out to the neighbourhood, Rev Park built the Chemchem Kindergarten block to sow the Gospel seed in the hearts of the children. Some children come from Muslim families! 28 children graduated this year, of whom 14 were from Muslim families. What a great way to reach out to people who need the gospel.
Flooding during the rainy season is a big problem. This happens because the grounds of the college do not drain well. So, Rev Park built a stone wall along the perimeter of the college to keep the campus from flooding. He has started laying stone blocks within the compound to create an elevated walkway above the muddy and slippery grounds.
However, more work still needs to be done for the campus. For instance, the wet ground has weakened the wall of the campus church. It is at risk of collapsing. The ground floors of the older buildings, such as the old kindergarten block and boys’ dormitory, are damp as the brick walls have absorbed the moisture from the ground. The playground also needs to be rebuilt to make it more accessible and safer for the kindergarten children.
We were daunted by the damage we saw, especially by the manpower and financial resources needed to restore the buildings. But Rev Park was not perturbed at all. A man of faith, he trusts that God will provide as He did in the past with the Kiswahili Bible Project. He also told us that out of the blue a Korean friend had pledged a sum of money to finance the building of the playground! As they say, “God’s work done in God’s way does not lack God’s provision”. So, Rev Park continues to work hard to teach and to build daily as the Lord provides. Do you want to do something for the Lord? You may consider supporting BCEA Tanzania.
Rev Mark Kim has been leading BCEA Kenya as Principal since 1990. He certainly had his fair share of challenges in the early years. Today, the campus’ sprawling grounds are beautifully landscaped with big trees and much greenery. It is a very conducive place for the students, faculty members and church members to study, grow and serve.
One would have thought that Rev Kim will slow down now that BCEA Kenya is well established and BCEA Tanzania is in the good hands of Rev Park. He is also getting on in age. Instead, in 2011, he started BCEA Rwanda (now known as International Covenant Christian College). Today, with BCEA Kenya ably taken care of by Rev Eben, Miss Bai, James and Shermaine, Rev Kim shuttles frequently to Rwanda to advise and help the bible college there. His diligence for the Lord will put many of us to shame.
It is not God’s plan that we should labour alone. The wives of Rev Kim and Rev Park work equally hard supporting the work that God has called their husbands to do. According to Rev Kim, Mrs Kim lovingly and painstakingly planted every tree and plant in the Kenyan campus. Mrs Park, an FEBC graduand also known as Dr Ra, teaches in BCEA Tanzania and is a Principal of Chemchem Kindergarten. Both Rev and Mrs Park also minister to the Korean brethren in Singapore. They conduct a Korean service every Sunday afternoon and bible study every Wednesday afternoon (Singapore time) via Skype.
By God’s grace, their labour in the Lord is not in vain. In BCEA Kenya, 52 batches of graduands have already gone out to teach and preach God’s word. Some graduands also became lecturers in BCEA Kenya. One Chemchem Kindergarten graduand is called to study full-time in BCEA Tanzania. Indeed, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy” Psalm 126:5.
During our visit, Mrs Park and Angela woke up early to prepare sumptuous breakfasts for us despite having to work past midnight during the semester. Rev and Mrs Eben Yoon, James and Shermaine also took time off their busy schedule to take care of us. They made sure that we had our three full meals, hot water for shower, and other creature comforts that we city-dwellers are accustomed to. They also took us out shopping for gifts. It was wonderful to be around them. We hope to be infected by their joy, dedication, and enthusiasm in the Lord. Thank God for sweet fellowship!
Seeing the heavy workload our missionaries bear, we were worried that our visit had burdened them more. But we realised that they were much encouraged by our visit. By being there in person, we gave them the moral and emotional encouragement that cannot be replaced by prayers and financial support. They are very happy to welcome True Lifers to visit them.
From this trip we gained a good understanding of what mission work is. It is not just teaching and preaching. Doing God’s work also involves rolling up our sleeves to build, fix, plant, cook and even do chores that get our hands dirty. We are humbled seeing how the missionaries carry out what God assigns them to do with a servant’s attitude.
We can also see the faithfulness of God. To those He called, He will surely give them the grace to persevere and succeed. We are grateful to the Lord for a spiritually rewarding trip.
Soli Deo Gloria!
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