Grateful Hearts

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." ~ Psalm 107:1 (NIV) 

Each morning when we get up is a perfect reason to give thanks to our Maker.  Without his Grace and Favour we will not have the strength to face another day,  The bible reminds to us to always thank God who leads us in triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14).

Looking back on this year we have a lot to be grateful for.  We need to constantly remind ourselves of the all the little blessings we have received throughout this year and years before. Yes, we may have experienced a few disappointments along the way; but, we should not allow them to steal our joy instead we should thank God for those setbacks and remain focused on Him and increase in our faith.  The Bible reminds us to give thanks to God in good times and bad (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

We are taught that every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17).  Hold on to that promise daily with a grateful heart and watch God do extraordinary things in your life.

Join us as we give thanks to our Heavenly at our special Thanksgiving Worship Service on November, 18th, 2012.  Visit our Facebook page for more details.

  

Fall Festivities

The leaves have started to change colour and it's becoming colder by the day.  Fall is a great time to watch our Creator at work and to celebrate His wonders.

Over the past few weeks we have enjoyed the new season with a few events at our church.  

At the start of October we got together to celebrate the Korean Harvest Festival - Chuseok.  Dominic and Yongson hosted us at their home for a potluck dinner.  A feast fit for a king was prepared by everyone who attended.  It was a great time to fellowship with our brothers and sisters and enjoy a meal together.

The celebration continued the following Sunday when we enjoyed a picnic together at the Myeongji Park.  We gathered at the park after our regular worship service where we played a few games but the highlight was the cricket match.  Dominic explained the rules of the game to everyone as it is not widely popular in most Asian countries. It was quite entertaining to watch. We worked up an appetite with all the running around which was a good thing because we were treated to a huge barbecue  party by a couple from Hosanna Church.  There was an endless supply of meat so we ate to our hearts content.

On the last Sunday of October we competed against the other International Ministries from Hosanna church at the annual Sports Day.  Team H.I.M was full of energy, enthusiasm and determination as we prepared to bring down the mighty Russians in a game of tug-of-war.  We are happy to report that we conquered our giants and beat them THREE times!  Unfortunately, we were not successful in our soccer and kick-ball games but despite the odds we managed to win second place at this year's event.  

We are looking forward to the new month with new blessing from our Heavenly Father. 

Bible Study

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. ~ Psalm 119:105  (NIV)

If you have time and would like to have a deeper understanding of the word of God we encourage you to join us at one of our bible studies.

We have a group who meets on Wednesdays at  at the Promise Land Cafe in Nampo-Dong.  Meetings begin at 7:30pm. We alternate between the old and new testament each week and spend time praying for each other. 

If week days are too hectic we have two bible study groups who meet over the weekend.  

We have a group meets on Saturdays at Bokum Industry in Jangnim at 7pm. Dominic facilitates bible based discussions with our brothers from the Philippines.

On Sunday mornings, Danny meets with a smallgroup at Hosanna Church in Hadan at 10am.  We encourage you to join us if you are free before our worship service.

Please feel free to contact us for more information regarding our bible studies.  We look forward to seeing you soon!

Mark your calendars!

We have a few exciting social events happening in the next few weeks and we would love for you to join us!




As most of you may already know, Chuseok (추석) is just around the corner.  To celebrate this wonderful Korean holiday we will be getting together for a potluck dinner on the 29th of September 2012 at Dominic and Youngson's home in Songdo.   You can arrive from 3pm onwards.








The festivities continue with our Fall BBQ party which is set for Sunday the 7th of October 2012 in Myeongji.  We will have our regular worship service at 12:30pm in Hadan, afterwards, will leave for Myeongi  where will enjoy a meal together and play some games.

Finally, at the end of October we can look forward to the International Sports day.  This event takes place on the 28th of October 2012 at the main Hosanna Church in Myeongi.  All the international ministries affiliated with Hosanna Church will participate and it's also an opportunity to fellowship with our friends from the other foreign ministries.


 We look forward to seeing you at these events.  Please visit our Facebook page for more details and directions about each event.

August Rush

The month of August was a blessed time for all of us at HIM.  We took our annul Summer retreat during the first weekend of August to the beautiful Geoje Island.  Like all families we all got up at the crack of dawn and hopped on the bus with much excitement.  

Our first stop at Geoje was at the Windy Hill, funny enough, it was very windy there.  The sun scorched down on us but that did not stop anyone from having a good time.




After baking in the sun we made our way down to the Black Pebble beach and had the privilege of having it all to ourselves.  Unfortunately, none of us could go in for a swim as all our bags were on the bus which just dropped us off and went away.  We dipped our toes in the ice water and cooled off our sun burns before making our way to our host church where we enjoyed a delicious lunch.




Exhausted from the sun and good food many of us decided to take a nap before heading out to Oedo Island.  A ferry transported us to and from the island which is home to a stunning botanic garden.  

In the evening we gathered for a time of worship and Pastor Dahm shared his vision for HIM with us. 

The night ended with a fun yet challenging quiz prepared by Danny and a late night snack of Ramen noodles. We got up early on Sunday morning for breakfast before heading back to Busan for our Sunday worship service.

 Our tears of joy from the retreat soon turned into sad tears when we had to say good-bye to Elijah who is moving back to America.

Later on in the month we also said good-bye to both Ian and Mary who are moving to Seoul.

During August, Dominic, together with Excel and Ji-soon went on a mission trip to India.  They had a blessed time of ministry together for two weeks before Ji-soon and Excel retuned to Korea.  Dominic will be in India till the second week of September.

We look forward to new blessings during September and pray that you have a blessed month.

Nefarious: Merchant of Souls

Nefarious is an award-winning documentary on modern slavery, namely sex trafficking.  Recent statistics show that there are at least 27 million people enslaved worldwide.  This film travels across the globe to expose particularly frightening trends in modern slavery.  More importantly, it shows that there is hope in fighting this injustice and restoring the lives of helpless victims. 

A free screening of the film will take place on August, 25, 2012 at Hosanna Church in Myeongji, Busan at 7pm.  It is primarily in English and will be shown with Korean subtitles. 

After the screening a special love offering will be take in support of Hope Be Restored and Jerusalem Ministry.  These are two organizations commited to fighting against modern slavery and bringing hope to the hopeless.

If you are free, we would love for you to join us!

Directions:

Hadan station exit 3
Take bus 20,17, or 9-2 ~ the stop is Hosanna Church (11 stops away)
Once you get off (following the direction of the bus), take a right and walk down about 100m to the church.

Summer Retreat 2012

Geoje Island

It's vacation time in Korea and to celebrate this wonderful season we have planned our annual summer retreat the for first weekend of August.  This year we are going to Geoje-Island which is the second largest island in South Korea.  We will spend Saturday (04/08/2012) at the island and return to Busan on Sunday  morning (05/08/2012) in time for our regular worship service.

Our team of wonderful leaders have planned an exciting itinerary for the upcoming weekend.

We will be meeting at our church in Hadan on Satuday morning (04/08/2012) at 8:00am and leaving to Geoje at 8:30am.  Transportation will be provided to and from the  island.  It's about a 2 hour drive to the island; therefore, we are leaving early.

 Windy Hill

We will be spending the night at a church which has been kind enough to open up their facilities to us.  Before going to the church we will do some sight seeing around Geoje Island.

Our first stop is Windy Hill. As the name suggests, it is very windy up there but it has a stunning view of the ocean and is a popular spot for shooting local films and dramas. 

 

After enjoying the wind and taking in the beautiful sea breeze and breath taking view will will hop on the bus again and drive to the beach.  This is no ordinary beach, as there is no sea sand to get stuck in between your toes; instead you will find a carpet of black pebbles. We will spend about 2 hours at the beach which is enough time to work up an appetite. 

Black Pebble Beach

 A delicious meal will be waiting for us when we arrive at our host church. After lunch we will have a short rest and continue exploring the island.  We will be visiting a beautiful botanic garden and will be transported there by ferry.

In the evening will have our famous BBQ party followed by a time of worship and ministry by Pastor Dahm.

Botanical Garden

Before settling in for the night we will play some games, have a few late night snacks and enjoy some fellowship.

On Sunday morning we will have breakfast together and return to Busan for our worship service which will be at it's regular time.

We look forward to spending the weekend with you.  If you would like to join us please sign up on our event page on Facebook. 

Summer Showers

Summer is upon us and with it comes a lot of heavy rains.  We are grateful to our heavenly for these showers of blessings as it helps cool us down.  


The rain can also be disappointing especially when you want to go and relax at the beach but out family at HIM doesn't let a little water keep us from having a great time of fellowship together.

We recently braved the bad weather and took a trip to the beach.  While most people would prefer to stay indoors and be dry we chose to dance in the rain.  


Due to the weather, the beach was empty - it was as if God had reserved Song-do Beach just for us. The guys used the empty space to their full advantaged and played soccer and the kids went for a quick splash.  While some chose to stay far away from the sand and water.

It is customary for us to have 
food whenever we get together and this time was no exception. We had a feast fit for royalty. After all the fun in the rain, we sat down to a wonderful early dinner which left a smile on all our faces.

We are truly blessed to have a family who is able to find the silver lining in every dark cloud. 

Star King 2012

On Sunday, (20/05/2012) Hosanna Church hosted to our annual talent show featuring members from all the international ministries. The name of the event is Star King. Through the show we were able to fellowship with a lot of our friends from the other ministries.

HIM played a huge role in the event because Mary, who is on our praise team was asked to be a MC for the event. She shared the stage with a member from the Russian ministry.

Each of the international ministries were asked to perform twice. The performance had to be a reflection of our culture and heritage from our mother country. It was was quite evident from the amazing performances that everyone put in a lot of time and effort in preparation for this fun event.

The beautiful ladies from the Vietnamese Ministry

It was difficult to pick one winner because everyone was really good at showing off their talent from their respective countries.  The ladies from the Vietnamese ministry performed a traditional dance which was really beautiful and later on they sang a song in their mother tongue.

Japanese Ministry

Our friends from the Japanese ministry performed and dance and followed that with a song.  It was a real treat to watch the little children participate for the glory of our King.

Mary and Yumi

HIM performed two songs. The first one, "Joyful Joyful", was sung in English by Mary and Yumi. 

Later, the two families from Africa got together for an outstanding.  We were also treated to an African dance from our two brothers.

Our families from Africa

The young people from the Chinese fellowship shared a moving performance on how things of the world can cause us to stray away from God but through the great sacrifice of Jesus we are set free from sin and 

death.

Chinese Ministry

Our afternoon of talent ended with a few Taekwondo stunts from a group of Korean kids.  It was super entertaining . 

Star King 2012 was definitely an highlight in our church calender and we look forward to next year's event.

Spring Family Day

Spring is in the air and it brings with it beautiful picnic weather and a perfect opportunity to spend time with family and friends. To celebrate this wonderful season the leaders at HIM have planned a picnic which will take place on Saturday,May,5th. 

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our family at HIM as well as friends of our ministry to join us for an afternoon of fun, food and family.

We will meet at the Dunkin' Donuts in Toessong Dong (Near PNU Hospital) at 11am; a shuttle bus will then drive us to our picnic site.

Please note that it is a bit of a walk from Dunkin' Donuts therefore we have arranged the shuttle bus so if you intend on coming please try to be on time.


If for some reason you are unable to meet us at 11am here is the address:
Hae Doji Rd 268-1, Soe Dae Shin 1 Dong, Soe Gu
해돋이로~ 서구 서대신 1동 268-1 번지 산월 노인정 뒤편

Please visit our Facebook page for more information.