Embodying Jesus' Love in Action

I have had the privilege to witness and be a part of God’s work through YANA ministry for the past decade and was invited this past December to be a part of YANA’s Christmas Express. Although I had many initial doubts, God reminded me that His love is unconditional, costly, and radical.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:5–8

Filled with conviction in my heart to love as Jesus embodied, I departed for Korea to meet our friends again. Though I wasn’t exactly sure what the plans were and what my role was, I decided to trust that as long as I was willing and able, God would work through me.

YANA Christmas Express  There are two key objectives for this trip:  • To be near orphaned children and bring them gifts from people who want to cherish them  • To meet with those who are outside the care of Dongmyung Children's Welfare Center

Christmas at Dongmyung and Seongnam  With the help of the middle school and high school friends at Dongmyung, we gift-wrapped all the presents and cards from the U.S. and decorated the meeting hall for our Christmas Express party! We spent the evening celebrating together through worship, singing, dancing, and giving personalized gifts to each child. The joy that the children experienced was made possible through the effort of the students, staff and the partnership of YANA supporters! What a privilege it was to celebrate the birth of Jesus together with our Dongmyung and YANA family. We also traveled with the YANA Korea staff to visit our friends we made this past summer at Seongnam Children's Home. We were able to spend time with the director and a few teachers and presented them with gifts for the staff at Seongnam. Then we spent the morning with two male high school students preparing the gifts, and then went into each dormitory to hand out the presents — Santa style. We were able to play with the children and watch them tear apart the wrapping paper and use their new gifts.

Visits and Meetups  Over the next several days, we traveled to various facilities with Dongmyung and YANA staff to visit children who had once been at Dongmyung. We also had the opportunity to meet up with many individuals who are now living independently. Our time together with the people was bittersweet but worthwhile. We would start in awe at how much they’ve changed and spend the time chatting about experiences since we last saw each other. There were moments where our hearts were thankful and encouraged, as well as moments where our hearts ached for their harsh realities. Nevertheless, we were extremely grateful for the opportunities to continue preserving these relationships and see God’s heart for these children manifested through the people who care for them every day. Our Message  Despite the difference in tone and intent from YANA’s summer mission trip, the message we seek to convey in all our efforts is the same.

No matter the time of year or where you end up in life, you are not alone.

Andrew Lee