Oak Tree Project Update

 

Oak Tree Project (www.oaktreeproject.com) was formed this year to support orphans trying to attend college. In February we accepted four students with our staff mentoring each of them (Jee mentoring one girl, Mijeong mentoring one boy, and Sky and me mentoring two boys). Since February we have met with them each month and called them to talk with them each week. We have assigned some different books while also keeping them accountable to attend church, take sermon notes, and keep a financial record of their spending. For some of the monthly meetings we met altogether and we usually taught them something and sometimes also had a guest share their testimony or a word of encouragement with them. During the monthly meetings when we met separate with our students we focused more on just getting to know them and growing as family. We have shot pool with them, gone bowling with them, and done some other activities. It’s been a process. It takes time for people with backgrounds like they have to open up with full trust.

Since February we have had a number of different struggles and have had to work out a number of different things, but each of the recipients have been progressing. One of our boys, despite being a good kid, had a tendency to focus on the negative and complain a lot. At our very first meeting I taught on the power of being thankful and spoke to them about all they have to be thankful for (something orphans rarely hear). It struck all of them, but the changes took time. In fact, we were losing patience with this one boy because of his attitude and it looked like we might have to drop him from the program because of his poor responses. Last month I had to be strong with him and make our expectations of him clear. Since then he has shifted and has been following through well. Interestingly enough, last week he told Sky that in the past weeks he has been practicing being thankful so much that his friends have picked up on it and are starting to be more thankful too. Praise God! That is the type of influence we want to see more and more of in our recipients. This year hasn’t been easy and we almost had to drop two different recipients because of different matters, but they have all shifted. People with their background are in dire need for healthy discipline (Hebrews 12:5-11). It’s a continual process and can be very tough at times, but God is working and He clearly has been blessing us to move forward to reach more kids. God loves these children!

Since last month my staff and I have been visiting almost all of the children homes in Seoul to share about the scholarship/mentoring program. Last year we didn’t get much enthusiasm about it from the homes we visited and we received only four applications, with three of them being from Jee’s children’s home (we accepted all four, obviously). This time around though, all the homes have been very positive about the program. Some of the homes were so excited that they tried to get us to guarantee at least one or two scholarships for their kids who are about to graduate (we can’t do that, of course). Other homes that were indifferent in the past are now very interested. I think a big part of this is because we are about to successfully finish a year of mentoring four students, we are presenting the program with the right documentation (crucial for the Korean social welfare culture), our hearts are pure, and we have a nice website. An even bigger part is because we feel God’s blessing is over what we’re doing. A few months ago we were concerned whether we would receive only one or two new applications for next year, but now it looks like we will have plenty of applicants from the many orphanages in Seoul.

Thanks to Ride Against Traffick, the Jazz Concert, the Ara Lock Seoul Bike Festival Cycle for Hope, and some donations (including one private donation of a full scholarship) we are at the halfway point to raising enough money for 9 scholarships next year. Each scholarship is about $6,500, with $6,000 being scholarship money ($500/month) and the extra $500 covering book assisgnments, meal costs for the kids, special activities, and administrative expenses. If you or your company or your church would be interested in supporting Oak Tree Project financially, then please let us know (OTPKorea@gmail.com).

Along with raising funds, we are seeking committed prayer supporters for Oak Tree Project. Serving orphans can be a lonely task with most churches too busy with their own programs. Having some people share encouragements with us and pray for us really helps give us the strength we need. In the next two weeks we hope to grow a prayer support group of at least 50 people who will follow our updates and keep the kids and the ministry in their prayers. We will likely send a monthly e-mail update/newsletter to these supporters, along with letting them know of any urgent prayer requests. We also hope that the supporters who are living in Korea will make their best efforts to attend our concerts and events (usually only two – four a year). If you would be interested in being one of our committed prayer supporters then please e-mail us at OTPKorea@gmail.com.

Last, we are seeking committed mentors for the new scholarship recipients next year. Mentors must be fluent in Korean, living in Korea for at least the next two years, able to make weekly phone calls and meet monthly with their students, while living a committed life to the Lord and serving at their local church. More than the money, it is the mentors who really shape and make an impact on the children. Please join us in praying for some powerful, committed mentors to join us for our next group of scholarship recipients in 2014.

Applications for the program will be sent to the children’s home on December 1st. The application period will go until early February because many Korean universities do not respond with acceptance/rejection letters until that time. We will make our decisions for who will be accepted by mid-February and then have our first meeting with all the new students and new mentors later that month. The recipients will begin their first semester in March.

In case you missed my pictures update, here is a photo of our scholarship recipients with Sky, Jee, and me after the jazz concert that helped raise funds for us…

Please see our website for more information: www.oaktreeproject.com. The video under “testimony” on the website is powerful! She helped influence us to make this program.

Thank you for reading!