ESTHER AHN KIM

I'm feeling a lot stronger today, able to focus again and read without the constant coughing. My book is by Noel Piper called 'Faithful women and their extraordinary God' and I have just finished the section on Esther Ahn Kim - The Wonderful woman who refused to bow to the shrine at Namsan Mountain. After years of sufferings and persecution she finally became free on August 17th 1945 to continue to serve God well into her nineties. And the words of the jailer who released her, rang out for everyone to hear, "She was a true champion of the faith."God may never expect us to suffer as she did, for our faith, but we can learn so much from her story. Her preparatory measures should be our standard fare -Prayer, worship, living simply, generosity with good things, knowing scripture and listening to people's stories about God. I thank God today for the one who gave me this book as she is a wonderful example of all of the above measures. The tears flowed today as I read of Esther's mother as her daughter left for Japan. The mother was content, beautiful and filled with the Holy Spirit. The book tells us that we should use this model as we send our children where God leads them. As I'm preoccupied with the thought of Jon leaving in three months, for a year in Ecuador, reading this today, God has spoken directly to me and I'm blessed as a result.