By: Ms. Timothy Rhee
Passage / 2 Kings 2:9 “When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.”
Each time I see the construction of this conference center, I thank God, remembering the great things he has done among us, and I praise God. The truth is that when we started building the conference center, we never imagined that it would be this big.
God has established many leaders from Guadalajara city. Whenever we had a conference, I enjoyed looking for a place bigger than the one we used before. But later we had some problems. This is because when we were 30 or 40, we could get places easily. But when we grew and surpassed 50 and we were getting close to 100, it began got harder to find a place for conference. Each conference season, the missionaries divided in teams and we went out to look for places after Sunday Worship Service. Sometimes, since we could not get a place even one week before the conference, we were very worried. That is why, when we found some place, we built a tent, made of wood and fabric, to use it as an auditorium, and the rooms, los brothers should sleep very tightly not leaving any space. Once, try to get a place with hurry, we lost more than 10,000 dollars.
Compared with Christian churches, the Catholic Church is wealthier, so they have many places with good installations. But, when we did not do any of the sings they do according to their traditions, they would reject us very coldly. But the Christian church’s places are very small and they are not well maintained. So once, when we went to a place, some bats got scared and flew out of the dormitory. And also the place had some holes at the ceiling. That made us feel scared and it seemed that it would interrupt to accept the word. That was the reason why we started thinking on building our own place for conferences. Also, we wanted to prove that the Christian church can challenge poverty and be churches that may help the needy.
For these reasons, on 2003 we started looking for a land in sale. Looking at the newspapers, or listening to the information of people, when we had time we went to look for them wherever it was. One day, at the store of a little town, we were buying something to drink. At the store we found a little piece of paper at a wall, a paper cut by hand and with ugly letter and bad spelling, that said someone was selling a land. With the help of the owner of the store we could find the owner of that land, and we bought it. It was September 2003.
Then, we rested a little. Since we bought a land, our hearts got lazy and we were facing how to get the materials we needed. Sometimes, I came by myself to this place, and with my kneel down I prayed to God asking that, the God that has done so many things that were impossible for me to do through all my little life, he may hallow me and make me a useful tool to do God’s will.
When the time came, God gave us a new heart to challenge again the construction of the conference center. Since 2004 we asked for license to build to the government. But the license took one year. This was because when we bought the land, we bought it without knowing that it was close to a National Park. So they took some pictures from satellites. Fortunately, our place was 329 yards from the National Park. So they gave us the license.
Now, it was time to worry about Money. M. Hannah calculated the expenses needed and she used to say very often, “Are we going to start or not?” In that moment, God gave us the word of John 14:13 that says, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”
Each time I stop when I face difficult decisions, I remember the great things that God has done in my life. I am a person that does not have great capabilities. Also I was very poor. When I left in Korea, I left in a room with my wife and my children. I also had to help my mother with her expenses. So when I had to leave Korea as a missionary, I had to challenge two things. First, I had to challenge a life that started from zero in a foreign country with no base or preparation for the future. And second, I had to challenge my worry about my mother, thinking on how much it would be her pain if I left her and go by myself. But God gave faith to that poor young man. And he gave the vision with a burning passion towards world mission. God helped me escape from my narrow world, and see the great world of God. During my life in Mexico as missionary, God gave me everything I needed, and until now, he gave me even more. He made me have 4 stores and my own house. These were out of my capability. He also guided my mother to Chicago, and there he made her a deacon with the help of UBF. My mother was a mother with a tender love. But she had a lot of complains with God. Because of the Korean War, she hand to leave her family and go to South Korea, and raised her children there. She hopped that her children would escape from poverty and they would live very well. But, when her children grew, everyone went to UBF, and they did things that were far from earning money. So many times, my mother’s sadness made me feel a great pain. But God gave her the American citizenship, and she is having a calm life at an apartment form the US government, and she spends her time reading the Bible peacefully. And M. Hannah’s mother, after we left to Mexico, she started to go to church too, and now she is a deacon. God did not save only us, but the hole family.
If we challenge what we can and achieve it, only our human glory is shown; but if we challenge with prayer the things that are impossible for men, then the glory of God is shown. Therefore, it is not necessary to calculate if I can do it or not, but think about the glory of God. And to show the glory of God, I think, we have to challenge the great things that we cannot do. And that challenge gives us fun. Because we will see the great things that God will do through those things. So let us challenge with the joy of watching the great things that God will do.
All the worries were M: Hannah’s. M. Hannah had to take care of the finance, and she calculated many points, and she also cared a lot. But now, she experienced God’s help and she became more positive than me.
On 2005, we started building the conference center. The heavy machines started to dig the earth, and big trucks carried sand, and the builders started mixing the cement. In this way, God gave us vision from the start, and because of this vision, the foundation of the auditorium that started being not so big, became big, and all the buildings became bigger.
On March 2005, the foundation of the auditorium, walls and a kitchen were visible. The dormitories also, even when they did not look very good, they had walls. Even when it looked like a destroyed city after a war, to us that struggled a lot looking for a place for conferences, it was enough. So we covered the auditorium with a tent and we covered the top of the sister’s dormitory, but we left opened the top of the brother’s dormitory. This conference was Easter Conferences 2005. When we went to sleep, we could see the cold moonlight and the sky full of bright stars, so we called that conference the Sky Conference. Looking at the Easter’s full moon and thinking on Jesus who 2000 years before died on a cross shedding until the last drop of his blood and he was buried in a cold tomb, and he was receiving the rays from the moon, Jesus’ grace was so big and that conference place very beautiful.
On September of 2005, the dormitories were finished. These looked like a military dormitories, so many people could sleep, so on fall’s conference we could sleep more comfortably.
On 2006, the ceiling of the auditorium was finished, and we were more sure that we could do conferences there. I repented of planning the dormitories as the military ones, so we decided to receive our brothers in a better place treating them as princes and princesses of the kingdom of God. So we changed the plan of doing big dormitories for many people to small rooms to rest individually. This change represented a lot more than what we planned. In this way, now, this place became a beautiful conference center with 25 rooms, two dormitories, one auditorium for 400 to 500 people, a dining room for 150 people, a big kitchen, and a wide lobby on the second floor.
Specially during 2007, after the Latin American International Conference, Dr John Jun visited Guadalajara and prayed and gave us words to strengthen us. And gave direction that on 2009 we would have the Latin American Director’s Conference in this place, and we would celebrate the dedication of the conference center. And he said that he would pray for a name for the conference center and make us know during this celebration.
On 2008 we visited Chicago, and Mother Barry also expressed her thanks for this conference center and she prayed very much, and we received comfort through her prayer. Even though she was tired of traveling to many countries, and despite of her age, she traveled to this place to deliver a message. In this way, this place became a place with more meaning, beauty and history. In this place, we had the Latin America Director’s conference and God gave us the word of restore your first love. We pray that until 2010 the work of God may be doubled, and we may send 100 thousand missionaries until 2040. I pray that God may use this conference center in his precious work.
This conference center is the result of the strength and prayer of the Latin American missionaries, and the work and sacrifice of the coworkers from Guadalajara. We will remember them with a warm love and thankfulness. May God bless each one of them.
Dr. John Jun gave the name of this conference center “Inspiration Center”. This name is based on 2 Kings 2:9, “When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.”
Elisha was Elijah’s disciple. When Elijah was going to leave the world, he said to Elisha to ask for one thing. Then, Elisha asked for the inspiration of God. He did not ask for wisdom or human experience. He asked for the faith Elijah had. When Elisha received the inspiration of God, he healed the leprous, and protected his nation from dangers. This century is one that needs inspiration. May God gives us abundantly this inspiration, and a great work of God may be done.
One word: Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.
Guadalajara UBF Inspiration Center
