Camp Meeting in Korea

by Betty Lee

On July 30, Erin McKibben, Renaté Rudolph, and I had the privilege of accompanying Reverend Bill McKibben, The Director of Asia Work, and his wife, Lori, on a trip to Seoul, South Korea, to attend the second annual Korea camp meeting. What a blessing it was to be there. Our Korean brothers and sisters love the Lord and are intent on receiving God's blessings.

There were a total of 175 people in attendance this year, representing seven different branch church locations. Visitors were housed at the church, but because there was not enough room, the group from Richmond, California, stayed at a nearby hotel. The weather was hot and humid, and we were especially thankful for the air conditioning. We were treated to a western breakfast at the hotel, but the rest of our meals were at the church, where we acquainted ourselves with the Korean saints. Rice accompanied every meal, and even though the weather was hot, we were also offered a bowl of soup. Korean food is quite spicy and it was not uncommon to find a bowl of hot chili paste on the serving line. We sat on the floor at tables, which stood about two feet above the ground. Congratulations to Renaté who refused to use a fork and successfully managed to eat all her meals at the church with chopsticks! Thanks also to Erin for winning a game of Kai, Bai, Bow (Korean for Rock, Paper, Scissors) and sharing her prize: ice cream! It was a welcome surprise on an extremely hot day.

The daily schedule consisted of Bible study at 10:00 a.m., a youth service at 3:00 p.m., and an evening service at 7:30 p.m. The combined orchestra played at each meeting and we enjoyed the choir numbers and special music from both the Koreans and our group. Lori, Erin, Renaté, and I also shared our testimonies throughout the week. We were given personal headphones to hear a translator interpret what was being said during the church services. We were also given bilingual hymnals and could feel the unity of praise as hymns were sung in Korean and English at the same time.

Reverend McKibben preached in seven of the ten meetings during the four-and-a-half days of camp meeting. He challenged us to give what little we have to the Lord and to bring our empty vessels to Him, just like the widow woman in 2 Kings. He admonished us to stay away from the ungodly and to walk the narrow road (Psalm 1). He warned us that storms will come our way, but we need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus, who can speak peace to our hearts (Mark 4). Reverend McKibben also encouraged us not to trust in the strength of numbers or material possessions, but to have faith in God. Sometimes we feel helpless and are taken “hostage” by the things around us, but we can have victory through Jesus Christ. He preached about the prodigal son and reminded us that we have a loving Father who waits for us and rejoices when we return to Him. On the last evening of camp, Reverend McKibben encouraged us to look up, “for your redemption draweth nigh,” focusing on our need to be prepared for the Lord's soon return.

On Thursday afternoon we heard from Kim Joung-Min, the Assistant Pastor from Seoul. He preached about the rich, young ruler and how we need to be careful in deciding what we consider valuable. God sees the value in each one of us and we need to earnestly seek things with eternal value, making sure Heaven is our ultimate goal. On Friday at children's meeting, I talked about the importance of being saved. I shared the story of Samuel and Eli and how we are all called, but we must also answer. I used a mechanical pencil to illustrate my point, showing that without lead in a mechanical pencil, the pencil is useless. Likewise, we as individuals are empty and useless if we don't have Jesus in our lives.

Renaté, Erin and I enjoyed some free time on Saturday, because there was a minister's meeting in the morning and a showing of the Apostolic Faith Church centennial DVD in the afternoon. Even though it rained, our spirits weren't dampened. Seventeen of us hopped on the subway to Coex, an indoor shopping mall. We enjoyed the scenic route and took in some Korean culture by riding a local bus back to the church in time to prepare for the concert that evening. At the concert, we enjoyed a variety of vocal and instrumental selections. A young people's group from Daejeon sang an upbeat song with tambourines, and a trio of ladies from the church in Daegu played a couple songs on the chromaharp, a traditional Korean stringed instrument. We also heard a mixed quartet from Seoul sing, “It Is Well,” accompanied by Reverend Park on the guitar.

Sunday morning began with Sunday school at 9:00. We gathered in the sanctuary, sang a few songs and, while the adults remained in the sanctuary, the children in the sixth grade and under gathered upstairs for a special lesson by Renaté. She taught on the baptism of the Holy Spirit and used her laptop computer and hair straightener to illustrate the importance of having the right plug and being connected to the correct power source. She had the children read Scriptures, which told about all the things the baptism of the Holy Spirit equips a person to do.

In the afternoon, we all gathered on the church rooftop to watch as six candidates were baptized in water. It was overcast and we were concerned that it would rain, but God's timing is always perfect! Just as the last candidate was baptized and the ministers left the water, it started to sprinkle. It was as if God was sending us showers of blessings as the candidates followed the Lord in water baptism.

Besides the wonderful fellowship, one of the many highlights for me was watching the Lord bless during the altar services. Our Korean saints have no problem praying for one another. When one gets anointed with oil for healing, others join in prayer. I admire their determination and zeal, and appreciate their faith. We could feel the unity as we prayed for one another. I think the trip was best summed up on Sunday evening, right before we said our goodbyes to our new friends. We realized that there was a group of six ladies praying for each other, and all of us were from different branch locations of the Apostolic Faith Church . These ladies share some of the same challenges that we have in America: unsaved loved ones, seeking a career, challenging marriages, proper parenting, and sharing the Gospel with a dying world. Our languages are different. Our cultures are different. Yet we all love the Lord.

Our team had different responsibilities while in Korea and we were stretched a bit, but we have drawn closer to the Lord, and learned to trust Him more. Please remember to pray for the saints in Korea as we look forward to hearing how the Lord continues to work there.