How can God use me?
How can God use me?
My name is Sophia, and I am Korean Chinese, born in Yanji City, a small city in northeast China.
Soon after becoming a Christian, I began wondering how I could glorify the Lord in my work at a TV station. I started selecting the TV content based on biblical values, but I had to face the reality of today’s media. I knew Satan worked through it.
So, I made a hard decision. I could not continue to work in media any longer. I asked the Lord what I should do. I heard the voice of God in my heart, saying: “It’s not important what you do. Just remain in me.” I did not understand that at first. But after several months, while listening to a sermon on the internet, I realized I wanted to serve God and his church, but I didn’t know how. Then, I decided to study theology abroad in order to be a well-prepared worker.
I decided to go to South Korea because language would not be an obstacle. But I had no information about Korean seminaries or any contact person in Korea. I searched the internet and found there were many seminaries. Because I heard there are many heresies in Korea, I was afraid that I might choose the wrong one. My pastor recommended Seoul Theological University (STU), a seminary founded by One Mission Society (OMS) in 1911.
I had three options: STU or two of the largest seminaries in Korea. I didn’t know what to choose. So, I prayed, “Lord, close all other doors and open the only one that you want me to go through, then I will know it’s your will.”
It became clear through many circumstances that STU was the one that God wanted me to attend. I completed the application process, and I was just waiting for the visa. But there were hold ups. I was required to send more and more documents. The classes were about to start in Korea, but I could not leave until I had the visa!
One day, when I was praying, the Lord told me, “Pack up your things and prepare for departure.” I wiped my eyes and began to pack. My phone rang. It was STU saying that I still could not get my visa. They mentioned that if I applied for a refund of the tuition now I could get all the money back, and that I could apply for the next semester, but if I did not apply for the refund now, I would not get the money back. I said, by faith, I will not apply for the refund. Then, I started to pack because God told me to.
Several days later, I was told to apply for the visa for Korean descendants abroad instead of the student visa. The application went through easily, and a week later, I received the visa. Because the classes had already started, I could not waste any time. Four hours later, I received my passport from the Korean consulate and got on the plane to Seoul.
I arrived at STU on the deadline day!
It’s a miracle that I am studying at STU!
Recently, I found out that the author of Streams in the Desert, a book that deeply touched me in a time of distress, is Lettie Cowman, the wife of Charles Cowman who was one of the founders of OMS and subsequently STU. When I realized that, I knew God’s hand had led me.
God uses ordinary people like Sophia to accomplish his mission. How can he use you?