Oak Tree Project Begins…

March 26, 2013John-Michael BeckerOak Tree Project1 comment

This past Saturday the leaders of Jerusalem Ministry held our second meeting with our Oak Tree Project scholarship recipients. Oak Tree Project is our scholarship/mentoring program for kids who grew up in the children homes in Seoul. We have three boys (all first years) and one girl (a second year): Young Suk (social welfare), Chul Joon (tourism/Japanese), Ha Neul (computer information system), and Ji Hwi (theater). My wife Sky and I are mentoring two of the boys while our other full time staff Jee and Mijeong are mentoring the other two.

During the first meeting Jee and Mijeong taught the kids about budgeting, tithing, and how to take good sermon notes. The boys had some different questions and concerns about tithing, but then our girl Ji Hwi spoke up. She shared how during her first year at college she had to work during almost all her spare time in order to survive. During her first year she grew in her relationship with the Lord a lot and late that year she learned about tithing. For her to tithe would mean she might not have enough money to buy food because she doesn’t have any family or relatives who can help her. By God’s grace though she was able to put her trust in God’s provision and she went ahead and began tithing. A week after giving her first tithe she discovered information about our scholarship/mentoring program. She knew it was God’s provision in response to her act of faith. She applied to Oak Tree Project and we ended up accepting her. Her testimony of God’s provision encouraged the boys and us as well. God is good!

During the second meeting we celebrated Ji Hwi’s birthday with her (we met on her birthday) and Jee made cupcakes for her. She remarked that receiving cupcakes made by Jee was so much better than receiving a cake from a bakery. It was likely the first time she received something on her birthday directly made by someone. During the meeting I taught them in Korean about thankfulness. The kids listened well and were each convicted about how much they have to be thankful for, despite their difficult pasts. For this next month one of our assignments to the kids is to journal one thing a day that they are thankful for. We are praying that they will clearly see God’s good hand in their lives more and more as they learn to recognize all the things they have to be thankful for. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him (James 1:17)!

The kids are finishing up their first full month of the semester. They were all positive and have been faithful in keeping up with the requirements of the mentoring program. We are excited to see the fruit of this ministry!

Here is a picture with the recipients.