Bio and Testimony
Let me tell you a little bit about myself and the testimony for this organization.
My name is Sung Yun Lee, and I am the founder of Change For Christ.
I am a missionary and evangelist, but never saw myself as a missionary, until my Korean small group leader, Soonyi Byun, at Park Street Church's International Fellowship suggested that I pay a visit to YWAM Kona in Hawai'i, to do volunteer as a Mission Builder. It wasn't that difficult a decision, although there is always some doubt about uprooting one self and travelling 5,090 miles across the world to an unknown place. The final decision was easy when faced with a gorgeous Hawai'ian winter over a brutal Boston winter. I've always wanted to go to Hawai'i and surf, just like my older brother Chung.
In that summer of 2008, I had come to a point in my walk with God where I was completely sick of being on the fence and being a Sunday Christian (doing whatever I wanted every day except Sunday), I made a vow to God that I would go WHEREVER HE WANTED ME TO BE. Finally, I threw my application in and got a long awaited acceptance phone call from the volunteer coordinator. While surrounded by on-fire Christians on one of the most beautiful places on God's planet, I found myself falling in love with Jesus all over again. I gave my life to Jesus on November 30, 2005 (I celebrated my 7th birthday as a Christian on November 2012) and felt that summer like I was just walking through the motions, without knowing Jesus' full love and salvation and freedom. But being here among people who were completely sold out for Christ, who had truly given up everything to serve God with their full hearts and lives and finances, was a VERY different experience than what I had experienced in Boston.
These people were SUPER COOL, and I didn't feel like I had to change who I was in order to fit in. Many Christians I had come across seemed like they couldn't care less about me or anyone else. I was looking for something closer to what was depicted in the Bible, where people were COMPLETELY ON FIRE FOR JESUS, willing to die on the stake, willing to give EVERYTHING to serve him. YWAM Kona was completely different than all my other Christian experiences. It also could have been the fact that I was in a completely different (and gorgeous environment where it was ALL about Jesus and there weren't other pesky responsibilities that somehow get in the way of our spiritual walks. There was a prayer room that was open 24 hours. People were on fire for God, there were books by the founder, Loren Cunningham, that inspired us to sow sow sow into His kingdom. My life was being changed, slowly, forever. I was being spoiled by God, and I loved every minute of it. Every morning we would wake up at 6 am and pray at 7 at the fountain in the middle of the campus. We'd head to work in the kitchen to work for 2 hours, then I was really blessed to be placed in the administration department for Staff Services where I got to work on the computers, communicating with staff all around the world.
The environment soaked into me, and I soaked into it. I was hearing fantastic things about the Discipleship Training Schools in Hawai'i and all around the world. I learned to dance for Jesus during the Monday morning and Thursday night worship times. I met Koreans and Canadians and Americans who were Mission Builders and students and missionaries. It was AWESOME. At some point, I started going to the prayer room and asking God to guide me, lead me where he wanted me to be. And we ALL know that when you pray a prayer like that, YOU BETTER HOLD ON FOR THE RIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The answer was unexpected. India, He replied. "India?????? HA! That's where I planned to go when I first began my spiritual journey in college and became a Buddhist.. I actually wanted to go to India to study abroad in college, but ended up going to China. "Sooooo, India?" I kept asking God, thinking for SURE I was hearing him wrong. Isn't it funny how we always doubt God's word? But as always, when God is speaking, you can't ignore Him! Finally, a little exasperated with God, I asked him..."Where in India?" I wasn't really expecting an answer, but in BIG BOLD LETTERS IN MY MIND, He replied, "BANGALORE." Never in my life had He responded that way, so I went on the computer at the office, and sure enough, there was a DTS starting there soon. It hit me. Struck me to the core. I was headed to India.
Funny thing is, the girl who sat at the very same desk that I had sat at that very moment, was ALSO called to India. We joked in the office that that desk had a calling for India on it. She was my outreach leader to Nepal. I finished my time on the Big Island, and moved over to Honolulu, where God answered the desires of my heart and I learned to surf.
India and Nepal is really another world, where the seed for Change For Christ was planted. Loren wrote in Is this Really You God? that if everyone from the wealthy Western nations gave even a couple of pennies, we could evangelize to the whole world and all the unreached nations and people groups!!! For a couple of pennies a month, you can join in this movement. With 500 people giving $2.00 a month, this could be $1000, we could join together to support 50 missionaries in the 1040 region http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10/40_Window or open a small orphanage for the dozens of boys hooked on glue on the streets of Kathmandu. They are so desperate to appease the hunger burning in their stomachs they turn to glue to deaden their pain. Please join me. Every prayer and cent counts!
My name is Sung Yun Lee, and I am the founder of Change For Christ.
I am a missionary and evangelist, but never saw myself as a missionary, until my Korean small group leader, Soonyi Byun, at Park Street Church's International Fellowship suggested that I pay a visit to YWAM Kona in Hawai'i, to do volunteer as a Mission Builder. It wasn't that difficult a decision, although there is always some doubt about uprooting one self and travelling 5,090 miles across the world to an unknown place. The final decision was easy when faced with a gorgeous Hawai'ian winter over a brutal Boston winter. I've always wanted to go to Hawai'i and surf, just like my older brother Chung.
In that summer of 2008, I had come to a point in my walk with God where I was completely sick of being on the fence and being a Sunday Christian (doing whatever I wanted every day except Sunday), I made a vow to God that I would go WHEREVER HE WANTED ME TO BE. Finally, I threw my application in and got a long awaited acceptance phone call from the volunteer coordinator. While surrounded by on-fire Christians on one of the most beautiful places on God's planet, I found myself falling in love with Jesus all over again. I gave my life to Jesus on November 30, 2005 (I celebrated my 7th birthday as a Christian on November 2012) and felt that summer like I was just walking through the motions, without knowing Jesus' full love and salvation and freedom. But being here among people who were completely sold out for Christ, who had truly given up everything to serve God with their full hearts and lives and finances, was a VERY different experience than what I had experienced in Boston.
These people were SUPER COOL, and I didn't feel like I had to change who I was in order to fit in. Many Christians I had come across seemed like they couldn't care less about me or anyone else. I was looking for something closer to what was depicted in the Bible, where people were COMPLETELY ON FIRE FOR JESUS, willing to die on the stake, willing to give EVERYTHING to serve him. YWAM Kona was completely different than all my other Christian experiences. It also could have been the fact that I was in a completely different (and gorgeous environment where it was ALL about Jesus and there weren't other pesky responsibilities that somehow get in the way of our spiritual walks. There was a prayer room that was open 24 hours. People were on fire for God, there were books by the founder, Loren Cunningham, that inspired us to sow sow sow into His kingdom. My life was being changed, slowly, forever. I was being spoiled by God, and I loved every minute of it. Every morning we would wake up at 6 am and pray at 7 at the fountain in the middle of the campus. We'd head to work in the kitchen to work for 2 hours, then I was really blessed to be placed in the administration department for Staff Services where I got to work on the computers, communicating with staff all around the world.
The environment soaked into me, and I soaked into it. I was hearing fantastic things about the Discipleship Training Schools in Hawai'i and all around the world. I learned to dance for Jesus during the Monday morning and Thursday night worship times. I met Koreans and Canadians and Americans who were Mission Builders and students and missionaries. It was AWESOME. At some point, I started going to the prayer room and asking God to guide me, lead me where he wanted me to be. And we ALL know that when you pray a prayer like that, YOU BETTER HOLD ON FOR THE RIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The answer was unexpected. India, He replied. "India?????? HA! That's where I planned to go when I first began my spiritual journey in college and became a Buddhist.. I actually wanted to go to India to study abroad in college, but ended up going to China. "Sooooo, India?" I kept asking God, thinking for SURE I was hearing him wrong. Isn't it funny how we always doubt God's word? But as always, when God is speaking, you can't ignore Him! Finally, a little exasperated with God, I asked him..."Where in India?" I wasn't really expecting an answer, but in BIG BOLD LETTERS IN MY MIND, He replied, "BANGALORE." Never in my life had He responded that way, so I went on the computer at the office, and sure enough, there was a DTS starting there soon. It hit me. Struck me to the core. I was headed to India.
Funny thing is, the girl who sat at the very same desk that I had sat at that very moment, was ALSO called to India. We joked in the office that that desk had a calling for India on it. She was my outreach leader to Nepal. I finished my time on the Big Island, and moved over to Honolulu, where God answered the desires of my heart and I learned to surf.
India and Nepal is really another world, where the seed for Change For Christ was planted. Loren wrote in Is this Really You God? that if everyone from the wealthy Western nations gave even a couple of pennies, we could evangelize to the whole world and all the unreached nations and people groups!!! For a couple of pennies a month, you can join in this movement. With 500 people giving $2.00 a month, this could be $1000, we could join together to support 50 missionaries in the 1040 region http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10/40_Window or open a small orphanage for the dozens of boys hooked on glue on the streets of Kathmandu. They are so desperate to appease the hunger burning in their stomachs they turn to glue to deaden their pain. Please join me. Every prayer and cent counts!