by Rev. Casey Southerland
PMU Field Director, Cincinnati, OH
the Missions Banner, April 2022: Online edition

Imagine for a moment that God’s call on your life was about to take you to a place you had never been before.  Think of it as an Abram and Sarai moment.  Abram was 75 years-old when he broke the news to Sarai, his wife, that they were about to move to a place that God would show them.  It takes no great imagination to think of how there may have been an onslaught of questions facing Abram when he entered the tent with that news.  But there was no place on the map, no link to their new house, no promise of a better climate for Abram to offer to his dear wife when he was about to uproot and unsettle all they had come to enjoy about their present and profitable life.  Abram and Sarai’s haven in Haran was about to become a hike to who knows where!

When a man is called by God to prepare for ministry it is a sobering experience for his wife as well.  It means the normal pursuit of training for a profession which may have the promise of earthly comforts is being set aside.  And to take the step of faith a bit further, the church planter is called to serve in a context where, by definition, there is no established church.  This means there is no track record of healthy congregational giving, no established ministries whereby his own family may benefit from the gifts of God’s people, no full board of elders and deacons to shoulder the work, and usually not even an established building.  The church may resemble a transportable tabernacle more than a permanent “temple.”  We can be sure of this, while the eternal and spiritual benefits will ultimately far outweigh the temporary risks, it is nonetheless a significant test of faith for anyone to leave behind the familiar and secure for the unknown.

So, how does a church planter maintain a hopeful outlook in the face of so much uncertainty?  The answer is far simpler than one might think.  There are not “seven things to keep in mind” or “five things to do every morning.”  The answer is simply trust in the Lord.  And while this is simple, it is rarely easy.  Every moment of trust in the Lord is a hopeful moment.  Every moment with eyes fixed on earthly troubles causes the heart to sink.  This is not only true for a church planter, but for you as well.  Read what the psalmist writes:

 Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
 For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.  (Psalm 33:20-21)

And what is it in the Lord that they were trusting?  Earlier in the psalm it is proclaimed, “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord” (Psalm 33:5b).  The reason a church planter’s heart can rejoice is not because of the certainty they can see ahead of them, but because the goodness of the Lord, their help and shield, extends over all the earth.

I share this encouragement with you because I want to exhort you to pray for and encourage our church planters.  In particular, I would ask you to pray for one of our church planters who, with his family, is currently facing a time of uncertainty.  Rev. Andy Yong, along with his wife, Jin, and their children are awaiting a response to a petition submitted 28 months ago with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  The petition filed with the USCIS normally takes 16-21 months to process.   Rev. Yong has been laboring to plant Covenant BP in Tacoma, WA since 2016.  He has been in the U.S. under an R-1 visa which was extended and will expire after April 17, 2022.   Steps are being taken that we hope will enable the Yongs to remain in the U.S. legally after the deadline, but there is still much uncertainty about their future.  They are receiving legal counsel and we have been seeking to exhaust every legal possibility for him to remain.  We are told that, as of April 18, 2022, Rev. Yong’s status in the US will not allow him to continue to work as an employee of PMU.  Of course, we will continue to prayerfully support the Yong family and we are asking you to do the same.  In the months ahead, we will provide updates as we are able.  For now, I am happy to report that the Yongs’ testimony and trust in the Lord remain strong.  Let us remain prayerful and hopeful for this dear family and the church.

“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy” (Psalm 33:18).

(pictured above: The Yong family)