My mom and dad are faithful Christians and were part of the Apostolic Faith Church in Busan, Korea. That city is on the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula, and that is where I was born. When I was a young child, my dad got a job in the city of Daejon, which is a couple hours north of Busan. There was no Apostolic Faith Church there, but my parents prayed for a long time about that and eventually a church was built there. I was so blessed to be raised in a home were my parents always read the Bible and prayed with me.

I was born as a twin, but my sister passed away from a disease when we were two years old. I remember wondering why God would take her from parents who were so faithful to Him. I also wondered why I was still here, and what God’s purpose was for me. That did not make me think about getting saved, though. Actually, I thought that if I died, I would go to Heaven because my mom and dad were Christians. I wasn’t thinking about my faith. Then, during my first-grade year, at Sunday school the teacher challenged me by saying: “You need to seek for your salvation.” I said, “My salvation? What does that mean?” When it was time to pray, I became so heavy-hearted that I couldn’t even hold myself up. I fell on the altar and cried to God, “Help me! I want to go to see my sister! I want to go to see You!” That day, God saved me. I knew for sure that I was ready for Heaven, and that I was ready to follow Jesus like my mom and dad did.

In my teenage years, I was very social and active. I learned to play the piano at church, did well in school, was good at sports, and had good friends. I enjoyed life as a Christian. We have youth camp every summer in Korea, and when I was about fifteen years old, I started to have an empty feeling inside. I had a sense of worry, which was not normal for me. I felt God asking me, “Jeeyae, what are you doing now? You need to look up.” God was asking me to not focus on friends, homework, and other activities, but to focus on Him. His call was so clear to my heart. One night, I had plans with friends but the burden on my heart was so heavy that I cancelled my plans—I needed to seek the Lord. That night, I put my focus on God and He sanctified me.

A deep desire grew in my heart to be more like Jesus. After graduating from high school, I enrolled in a teaching program at a Christian university. I heard about an opportunity to go on a mission trip to encourage believers in China, and God gave me a passion for that work. I went to China for the first time in 2002 and learned so much through that. Sometimes we would spend all day in prayer, and I drew very close to the Lord.

That year, my family attended camp meeting in Portland, Oregon, and our district leader in Korea invited me to visit our churches in the Philippines too. I was seeking for the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and during those trips I spent a lot of time in prayer and in fellowship with the family of God. We had very precious times together, but I did not receive my baptism. I returned to Korea disappointed, but I’m thankful God did not leave me alone. He helped me not to think only about my feelings, but to keep seeking Him.

That same summer, I went to the Korea youth camp and that is where God filled me with His Spirit. I knew barely any English words back then, but when God gave me the witness of speaking in tongues, I spoke fluently in English and in Mandarin Chinese. Such joy and peace filled my heart! The Holy Spirit is a wonderful gift from God.

On my school mission trip to China, I had met another student named Taiwoo. He was from a very different background than mine. He was not raised in a Christian home but was saved after he started college, and he attended a church near his school. I could tell right away that he was truly born again and loved the Lord.

Taiwoo and I became good friends and eventually started dating. I knew I wanted to marry someone like him, but I was not sure if marriage was God’s will for us. Then in 2006, I went to Portland camp meeting again for the church’s 100-year anniversary celebration. My relationship with Taiwoo was weighing on my heart. He was still attending his own church as well as coming to my family’s church, and I could see that if we stayed together, at some point we would have to choose one church to attend. I prayed, “Lord, I want to serve You in this church and I know that is what You want me to do. But I don’t want to have to persuade my husband about it. If it is Your plan for us to marry, please do it.” God did not tell me if I should marry Taiwoo, but He gave me peace in my heart. When I came home from that trip, Taiwoo told me that he wanted to serve God in the Apostolic Faith Church. Then I knew it was God’s plan for us to be together, and we married in 2009.

Taiwoo and I had two children, and we loved serving the Lord in the Daejon church. Taiwoo started preaching and helping with the youth work, and we were involved with choir and many other activities. Then, all of a sudden, we found out that we needed to move to the United States for work. Taiwoo had applied for many different jobs, both in Korea and in other countries, and the only job offer came from the state of Michigan—a place I knew nothing about, not even where it was on a map!

When we arrived in Michigan, of course everything was totally different—the language, the food, the weather, and the culture. On top of everything, there was no Apostolic Faith Church there. I never expected I would be in a position like that. I was ready for our lives to revolve around church, but God wanted to show me what it feels like to be without a church family. I felt like we were in a desert with no source of water. It still makes me emotional to remember that time. My heart was broken to see that our children were not going to Sunday school like I did when I was that age.

We were in Michigan for four and a half years. Thank God, He sustained us in different ways. The Chicago church was over four hours away, and we traveled there about once a month. Despite the language barrier, the church family there was very sweet and warm to us. We loved them so much. Sometimes we received cards in the mail saying, “We love you. We are praying for you.” It was amazing to know people were praying for us. God also helped me get my first job in the United States as an assistant teacher at a public school. I could tell that was truly His perfect work in my life!

Finally, in 2018 we were able to move to Seattle, Washington, and worship at our church there. We were so happy! The pastor of the Seattle church, Brother Bill McKibben, is also the Director of Asia Work, and we were so blessed to worship there with him. He guided us spiritually and as a mentor to our family.

As glad as I was to be in Seattle, I don’t regret our time away from a church family because I learned a lot from the Michigan desert. God taught me that I don’t need to be afraid of His plans. I had my own ideas of what my life would be like, but God let me know that He has a different plan, and He always knows better than me.

My journey with God is not over yet. Just last year, we found out that we would be moving again, this time to the San Francisco, California, area. My desire is for God to mold me just the way He wants me, not according to my will but according to His.