Stump Mission News (Oct.08.2026)

Dear ministry partners,

Although I frequently text our missionaries via KakaoTalk, over the past few days, I had the privilege of catching up with several of them over the phone after a long time.

As we shared updates about our families, our daily lives, and the ministry, our conversations naturally stretched into long, meaningful times of fellowship. The weather conditions on the field are challenging, financial resources are tight, and they often face hardships caused by the local people. Yet, they begin each day with deep gratitude for the grace God provides, confessing that where they are right now is the absolute best place to be.

Acknowledging that they cannot do this work in their own strength, they simply dwell in the land where the Lord has placed them, following the heart He has given them. Knowing that they must move whenever He commands, they faithfully live out each day given to them with all their hearts. Hearing these humble, everyday testimonies was a deeply moving and grace-filled experience—one that naturally led me to hum the faith-filled hymn, "Pilgrims onward going to the heavenly land, do not fear the obstacles ahead.

Here is the update from our mission fields.

BangladeshMissionary Seo, Jung-hyuk completed his medical checkups, received his prescriptions, and arrived back in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on October 6. 

While he was away, his daughter Daeun—who was staying with a neighboring missionary family—contracted dengue fever. Her platelet count dropped drastically, causing a major scare, but she has recovered quickly and returned to her daily routine. The worried parents rushed back to Dhaka; her mother is now caring for her, and Missionary Seo returned to the field after undergoing his remaining exams and treatments. We are deeply grateful to the missionary family who lovingly cared for her during such an alarming time, and we thank the Lord for His swift healing. Missionary Seo's jaundice levels remain high due to an inherent weakness; although he needs to rest and manage his health, we know that is never easy in the midst of ministry. We pray that the Lord pours out His grace so that he may overcome every task with joy and strength.

The traffic conditions in Dhaka, Bangladesh, are extremely chaotic. With no visible lane markings on the roads, cars, buses, motorcycles, auto-rickshaws, rickshaws, and pedestrians all mingle together, making driving an immense challenge. A commute from Missionary Seo's residence to Gloria School, which should normally take 30 to 40 minutes, usually takes 2 hours—and sometimes up to 4 hours. As a result, his wife cannot even attempt to drive, and driving remains a massive source of stress for Missionary Seo.

In the midst of these challenges, we have a wonderful praise report: attendance at the Gloria Hostel worship service is growing. What began as a service just for the hostel students later grew to include the live-in staff and college students. Recently, locals moving from rural villages to Dhaka in search of a place to worship have been finding their way to the hostel rather than local churches. Now, people of all ages—from children to adults—worship together. We thank God for sending these believers. While providing lunch for everyone after the service is a significant financial strain, we pray that it becomes a time of rich fellowship and a blessed worship experience.

SpainAs the weather cools down and the new semester begins, all three individuals who had left the city to escape the summer heat have returned, allowing us to resume our sweet fellowship. We pray that their Bible studies and fellowship will continue to grow deeply.

Missionary Yang, Kyung-ha has enrolled in a city-run language institute and started classes on October 5 to upgrade her Spanish certification. Since the Spanish used in Spain differs significantly from what she used in Mexico, she is dedicating herself to relearning it. She is deeply grateful for the municipal subsidy that makes the tuition highly affordable. At the institute, she is meeting many people from diverse backgrounds who are eager to learn different languages. She is filled with joy and hope, anticipating that building relationships with these new classmates will naturally open doors to share the Gospel. We are cheering her on as she masterfully acquires the language.

Missionaries Lee, Dong-hoon and Yang, Kyung-ha have been praying to expand their evangelistic ministry beyond their current city of Valladolid into Spain's southern coastal regions. However, the cost of living in their initially desired region is two to three times higher than where they live now. Seeking a more sustainable alternative, they have turned their attention to a region called Castellón. Last weekend, heavy torrential rains struck Castellón, so they slightly delayed their exploration trip; they plan to visit very soon once they monitor the weather conditions.

Looking ahead, they hold a vision for their ministry in Spain to reach not only the locals but also the North African communities, particularly Moroccans, who frequently travel to Spain due to geographical proximity. They long to see the Gospel expand far and wide. Planting a new ministry in an unfamiliar region is a grueling journey, yet they take to the streets daily to preach the Gospel, seeking the Lord’s will through prayer. We pray that they will not grow weary, that they will steadfastly trust in the Lord who goes before them, and that their upcoming scouting trip to Castellón will be safe and fruitful.

ZambiaKelvin Nkandu, who served as the boys' dormitory dean at the Chisomo Center, suddenly passed away while taking a brief rest during work hours. The children and staff were deeply shocked and saddened by his sudden departure.

We earnestly pray for comfort to be upon the children, the staff, and the bereaved family. Because this tragic event occurred during his shift, we provided a standard-compliant casket and funeral assistance in accordance with government regulations. Please pray with us that the remaining expenses will be met, and that the Lord will send the right person to succeed him—someone dedicated to watching over the children 24 hours a day.

Plans are also underway to ship a ministry container from South Korea to Zambia. We are preparing to load various medical and ministry supplies, including an ultrasound machine. We have requested partial funding for the shipping costs from an organization in Germany, and we pray that the remaining expenses will be fully provided.

TanzaniaThe container we were preparing has been fully loaded and successfully shipped. We are deeply grateful to the Lord for granting helping hands to prepare all the necessary items. Please pray that it arrives safely in Tanzania and is cleared without any losses or incidents.

The two missionaries are currently taking care of various matters in South Korea to help their youngest child, Ju-seong, move into a new residence and settle down well. They are spending the remainder of their sabbatical keeping in touch with the children in Tanzania via video calls. We pray for their physical and spiritual restoration, and that they will be strengthened during their stay in Korea.

Country SAs the peak of summer has passed, the scorching weather has cooled down a bit, making daily life much more manageable.

We received various updates about the children from rural villages currently living at the Mission House. Their stories are a mixture of both joys and challenges: one child struggles to keep up with schoolwork but still attends classes faithfully; another dreams of entering a beauty pageant; one went back to their hometown out of homesickness, which destabilized the heart of another child left behind. We also heard about Nuri and Biro, who are studying hard in South Korea—a land completely unfamiliar to them. Meanwhile, Zhonghe stays behind to serve at the Eden House, and Vanniri has traveled back to the countryside to run English classes, passionately preaching the Gospel and expanding its borders. Amid these stories, we also learned that government surveillance has become significantly stricter. Since any gathering of people inevitably draws scrutiny, our missionaries never know when or how they might be forced to leave. Because of this, they are pouring all their hearts into sharing the Gospel with even just one more soul and raising them up as disciples. All these matters rest in the Lord’s hands, so we pray that He will add to the number of those who hear the Gospel and come forward, and that they will strive to gather, build up the church, and fulfill His Kingdom.

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13–14

We give thanks to the Lord, who will ensure that the labors of our missionaries and the prayers and financial support of our partners are never in vain. We pray that both our missionaries—who run toward the Lord Jesus Christ ahead of them without being bound by any earthly matters—and all of us who support them in prayer and finances will ultimately receive the crown of life promised to those who love Him on that day.

Thank you.May His peace be with you always.

Sincerely in Christ,Missionary Hong, Jong-imStump Mission