Korean North American Aboriginal Mission Conference in Jeon Ju, South Korea, April 23-25, 2013

Myanghee Lim (Kwangya Church) and James Kim (Living Waters Church) are waiting at the Incheon Airport just outside of Seoul, South Korea, on April 17, 2013, to welcome the guests arriving from North America by plane to attend the Korean North American Aboriginal Mission Conference (KNAAM).

Here are some of the guests after their arrival.  In the entire group, there were some 60 people--30 First Nations from various parts of Canada (including British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec) and the United States, and also Koreans who are working in North American with a focus on First Nations.

The KNAAM Conference was held from April 23-25, 2013, at the Paul Church in Jeon Ju, South Korea.  It is a massive building, and there are many church buildings in South Korea like this.

After touring the country for the first several days to visit churches, and other places such as the Canaan Farmer's School and the KangNam Fasting Prayer Mountain, on April 24 the group came to Jeon Ju where the KNAAM Conference was to be held from April 24-26.  The first night that the group came into Jeon Ju, the Mayor of Korea's Most Traditional City, Hajin Song, hosted a special banquet meal for the First Nations delegation who were mostly from Canada at the Diamond Hall in the Rivera Hotel.

One of the First Nations leaders from Canada in attendance, and one who shared that evening, was Elijah Harper, probably one of the most widely known First Nations leaders in Canada.  Within three weeks of this date, shortly after he returned to Canada, Elijah Harper passed away, and went home to Glory, after having fought a good fight, having finished his course, and having kept the faith!

Here is a group picture of all of the First Nations and Korean delegates who were in attendance on that opening night hosted by the Mayor Hajin Song of Jeon Ju.

For accommodation, the First Nations delegates were taken to the Hunsan Funji House, which is a dormitory operated by the Chonbuk National University in Jeon Ju.

The delegates were taken by bus every morning to the Paul Church for the day's events which began with a 5:00 a.m. prayer meeting each morning, which was the best attended service of the day, because many who can attend the early morning prayer are working during the day.

From the sixth floor of the Paul church edifice looking down, one is standing on the floor level of the Art Hall where most of the Conference sessions took place during the day.

This is Palyeon WON, the pastor of the Paul Church in Jeon Ju, South Korea, and he was very gracious in hosting the KNAAM Conference, and shared on the opening evening a powerful message on the power of forgiveness.

Earlier that same day, at one of the morning plenary sessions, a powerful message was given by a 103-year-old pastor by the name of Jiil BANG from the Yeongdeoungpo Church in South Korea.  He spoke with the vigor, and with the unction and the clarity of a young man, and seemed to be like Moses who, even when he was 120 years old, "his eyes were not dim, nor his natural vigor diminished or reduced" (Deuteronomy 34:7).

That morning, Pastor Jill BANG spoke with clarity and with unction in a way that addressed the victim mentality that would see ourselves as victims of external forces or of authority structures outside of ourselves.  He made very clear that the Holy of holies, or the Throne Room of the God of the universe, is inside of us, and with that reality inside of us, we have whatever it takes to overcome opposition, resistance, persecution and backlash.

With that understanding, everything that we need to build a strong congregation or ministry is already inside of us.  We are not victims of what others do or say.  If we will listen to what God is saying from His Throne Room, the Holy of holies, His authority will back us up to do whatever it is that He asks us to do.  Our part is to obey.  God's part is to defend and to deliver those who walk in obedience to do His will.

This is Sungill Tim Choi, director of the Edmonton Urban Native Ministry in Edmonton, Alberta.  Tim led the worship time for the morning plenary sessions on both Wednesday and Thursday, April 24 and 25.  One of the songs that he led in that ministered most powerfully was the chorus, In His Time.  Sometimes, there is a long period of time between when God makes a promise, and the time when we see the promise fulfilled, but if we are patient, we do indeed learn that God makes everything beautiful In His Time!  Listen to this beautiful song here .

In His time, In His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time.
Lord please show me every day as You're teaching me Your way
That You do just what You say in Your time.

In Your time, In Your Time, You make all things beautiful in Your time.
Lord my life to You I bring, may each song I have to sing
Be to you a lovely thing in Your time.

Another song that Sungill Tim Choi led in that ministered powerfully was the song, You Are My All in All!  You can listen to this powerful song here .

You are my strength when I am weak, You are the treasure that I seek, You are my all in all!
Seeking You as a precious jewel, Lord, to give up I'd be a fool, You are my all in all!

Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is Your name!
Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is Your name!

Taking my sin, my cross, my shame, rising again I bless Your name, You are my all in all!
When I fall down You pick me up, when I am dry You fill my cup, You are my all in all!

Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is Your name!
Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is Your name!

Here Sungill Tim Choi who works as a missionary to the First Nations in Edmonton, Alberta, is with Derek George who works as a youth pastor at the First Nations Family Worship Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, along with Pastor Raymond McLean.

This is Pastor Raymond McLean from the First Nations Family Worship Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, preaching up a storm as he develops his theme, Church Restoration, and The Restitution of All Things is at Hand!  The summary of Raymond's vision is to see the total restoration of the churches in our communities, cities, and nations, and to see the First Nations and all the indigenous people of the land take their place as the spiritual stewards of this land as they were originally called to do.

The vision is to unify the tribes of North America with the rest of the Body of Christ, and to work with Korean churches as the Lord has already shown in the last two decades through prophecies and visions.  The vision is also to stand with Israel in bringing the Jew and Gentile into One New Man, where each retains their distinct identity, but come into oneness and unity through our Messiah.

This is the entire group that attended and participated in the morning and afternoon sessions of the KNAAM at the Art Hall on the sixth Floor of the Paul Church in Jeon Ju, South Korea.  The early morning prayer meetings, and the evening services, were in the main sanctuary of the Paul Church.  These were attended by many more people, but the group pictured above was the core group of both Koreans and North American Aboriginal people who attended the morning and afternoon sessions of the Korea North American Aboriginal Mission Conference (KNAAM) from April 24-26, 2013.

The evening praise and worship times in the main sanctuary were powerful times of ushering in the Presence of God through joyful singing, bodily movement and dance.

"Praise Him with the timbrel and dance...

"Praise Him with the loud cymbals...

"Praise Him with the high sounding cymbals!

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord...

"Praise the LORD!!!  Hallelujah!!!" (Psalm 150:4-6).

During the Thursday morning plenary session on April 25, the Chief Servant of the Kwangya  Church, Myunghee Lim impacted the audience greatly with the story of the church that he has birthed in the midst of much travail among the street people in Seoul, South Korea.  Normally, we think of seasoned ministers and church leaders as having the responsibility to reach out and to feed the hungry people on the streets, but Myunghee has so trained his congregation that he had them prepare sandwiches and morning breakfast for the North American delegates to the KNAAM.  He has truly taught the street people that the key to blessing is not to borrow, beg or steal, but that the key to blessing is to give.  It is more blessed to give than to receive.

There are five principles that guide the ministry of the Kwangya Church in Seoul, South Korea.  They are:
1.  Love the unloveable.
2.  Give to the point of bankrukptcy.
3.  Do not ask for help.
4.  Be patient.
5.  Do not stop.

Myunghee Lim's message was to be ready to die as you extend God's Kingdom.  Don't go around asking.  Be a giver.  A more complete text of his powerful message can be found on the post following this one on the Canada Awakening Ministries blog.