Joining God's Mission Together
Gil & Joyce Suh
 Spring 2021
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A Time for Lament and Going DeeperOne of Joyce’s roles as regional leader is to host a spiritual retreat for Resonate staff missionaries and others who Resonate facilitates going with other organizations (partner missionaries). Usually we meet in a convenient location in SE Asia, have a guest speaker come in, and spend a few days together. These times are important as many of us do not have large teams and this helps us maintain our ties with each other.
Of course, with COVID, travel was off the table this year. However, we felt strongly that now more than ever, our faithful missionaries needed to have some time of relaxation and renewal. Joyce and Paul Yu, regional leader for East and Central Asia decided to try a hybrid retreat for our regions. We invited a guest speaker, Jean Gill, to lead virtual sessions that would ground people for individual retreats within their places of service. Jean also designed resources for that personal retreat.
Our time together through zoom was good. Jean help us dig into lament—how it is an important formational Christian practice that not only brings us closer to God but is also used by God to shape compassion in us for our mission in the world. She also led us into the practice of experiential reading of scripture.
Some missionaries have yet to take the personal part of the retreat –the few days away that Resonate is supporting. But some have done it and have reflected with gratitude on their time with each other and with God. These annual retreats are one of the ways that Resonate takes good care of its missionaries. They are resourced through general giving to the agency. Thank you for your support not only of us and your missionaries, but of Resonate at large. Resonate is a special organization.
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Learning to Engage Mission OnlineDue to the COVID situation, many ministry activities and programs have been paused or shut down. Fortunately, I (Gil) have been able to do quite a bit of activities online including teaching classes, leading seminars and mentoring leaders. Most recently I facilitated a virtual town hall meeting for Calvin Theological Seminary where I’m serving as Scholar-In-Residence this year. One of my roles is to encourage and mobilize the seminary students for missions in North American context and overseas through classroom teaching and personal interaction. Here is a Link to the Town Hall recording or click the picture below.
Although limited by the COVID restrictions, I hope my presence and interaction with staff and students have been encouraging and stimulating for mission. Please pray that more students will be open to serving in missions whether in North America or overseas. Pray also for our colleague Stan Kruis who will serve CTS as Missionary-In-Residence for the next academic year after his retirement from many years of mission service in the Philippines together with his wife Bessie. I’m glad that Stan and Bessie will continue the work of mission mobilization at CTS after my return to Cambodia.
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God's Work Under the SurfaceI (Gil) keep myself quite busy with virtual activities, and I am thankful for that. But I at times feel restrained and even locked down. For a while I felt as if the whole world was in a hibernation. Michigan’s long winter might have contributed to that feeling as well. No face-to-face worship, fellowship, meeting is hard. However, I realize God is doing His wonderful work under the surface during this time. He is resetting and preparing for the next season for His creation and His people.
I learn that winter is not a dead time but a season of Sabbath and preparation for spring. It is a significant period and process for the whole ecosystem. In the same way, this season has a significant value in the big scheme of God’s sovereign plan. It is still unfolding, so we don’t know yet what God will accomplish through all this. But one thing for sure is that He is forming us extensively like the Israelites in the desert after the Exodus. He is testing our faith, renewing our values, forming our character and preparing us for His Kingdom. For that, I am most grateful.
Now there are budding signs of spring when it will become clearer what was prepared for during the winter. |
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Glocal Mission SummitJoin us for the upcoming Glocal Mission Summit, which will be held in four online blocks from Thursday, May 13 to Saturday, May 15.
The Glocal Mission Summit is a free and interactive virtual conference designed to break you out of that ZOOM fatigue. It’s a gathering where you will engage in conversations around mission, collaborate with others to reimagine what mission and discipleship can look like in our COVID reality, and network with lay leaders, students, scholars, pastors, and others who are exploring how churches can reignite a passion for mission.
Check out the details at www.resonateglobalmission.org/glocal. You can register here
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Praise & Petition*We are making plans to return to Cambodia (DV) this summer. Please pray that the re-entry door will continue to be open and that both travel and the transition will go smoothly.
*Missionary support: One of Joyce’s projects with others in the leadership team has been to review how the current model of missionary fundraising has been working. It has been working well but we came to realize that there have been some misunderstandings about what missionaries personal support raising covers and what it does not-- and the continuing need for ministry shares, general giving and giving for special projects
*We are amazed and grateful at the faithful support and encouragement that we receive from you. We are living in a state of constant and heightened gratitude. What a blessing and gift that comes to us as we serve.
*We are welcoming new career staff to our region. Navy (Chann) and Ly Chhay who have been partners recently became Resonate staff in Cambodia. Also, Charles and Hensel Oh are new staff in the Philippines as Stan and Bessie Kruis retire from the field later this year. In the next month or so, we hope to hire a part-time contract worker to research and develop a plan for ministry among Chinese diaspora in SSE Asia. We thank God that He continues to bring gospel workers into the fields of harvest.
* Calvin University--where Isaac and Mary attend--has held residential classes with many safety measures and restrictions. We thank God it's been working well, but the recent surge of infection cases in the area make all of us concerned. David has already been vaccinated because his work as a mover sometimes takes him to seniors complexes. Pray for continuing protection and settlement for our children in the US.
* We are thankful for those who give faithfully to support us financially. Even in this trying time, your generosity has been refreshing and encouraging us greatly. We remain in need to meet our assigned goals, Click to Give Online. |
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