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L'Abri Newsletter, March 2026

March 16, 2026

Dear praying family,

The unusually cold winter has finally passed, and cherry blossoms and magnolias are beginning to bud. There were many days when the temperature fell below 10 degrees, which made me wonder how we would have endured the winter had the new boilers not been installed at the beginning of the year. We are grateful to both God and our donors for providing us with new boilers.

First of all, I would like to belatedly apologize for surprising you with the news of my lung cancer. After undergoing surgery to remove a quarter of my lung, I received four rounds of chemotherapy injections. I live each day to the best of my ability, moved by the love of brothers and sisters who share the precious blood of Jesus, by the Lord's care, by your prayers and donations, and by your attentive help. I know L’Abri colleagues around the world have been praying for me. Living as a community amidst chemotherapy helped me stay standing firm.

I am grateful to the colleagues who worked hard for God and for taking my spot through the freezing-cold winter months. How can I express my gratitude enough to Tae-yoon & Hyun-ji (Aru), Jin-kyung, Sung-jun & Mi-ra, Hae-jin, and In-kyung? I hope they will be comforted by the promise that God recognizes their hard work. Sometimes, I was so happy and thankful for what God was doing as I saw the guests that the label, ‘cancer patient(?)’, attached to me seemed to disappear. We are deeply grateful for your love, prayers, and support.

I would now like to reflect on this past winter. In addition to L’Abri’s daily rhythms, there were three large gatherings.

There was a book concert for Rev. and Dr. Yun-seok Lee’s books, The Kingdom of God and the Path of Political Moderation and Citizens of Heaven Take Responsibility for Politics on Earth. Last summer, Yun-seok carefully listened to and commented on the presentations of young people at the School of Christian Worldview. Dozens of pastors and their wives from the Yangyang attended the concert and had fruitful discussions about Christian participation in politics. Mi-ra's performance of the haegeum also touched everyone's heart.

In addition, we held the first-ever lecture specially for teenagers in the Yangyang-Sokcho area. Thankfully, the response to Hae-jin's lecture, “If: A World Without God,” was positive, and she was asked to give the same lecture again for Sunday school teachers in the spring. Please pray that this lecture will help provide a fresh and practical approach to youth so that they will not only go to church but also come to know and believe in God.

We also welcomed a visit from one of Yonsei University’s prayer groups. Among them was a student in a wheelchair; I was so thankful that we had our wheelchair ramp installed last year. After listening to Research Fellow Ki-jin's lecture, “Surviving the AI Apocalypse,” a heated discussion continued until after the meal. We learned that prayer rooms and gatherings have been established not just in their engineering department but across many other colleges in Yonsei. I earnestly ask for your fervent prayers that the fire of prayers would ignite on these campuses and transform the atheistic and pluralistic minds to the Christian mind.

The guests the God brought us this winter were diverse in age, ranging from teenagers to those in their 70s. Since I cannot mention everyone in this letter, I would like to keep it brief and ask for your prayers.

Those in their teens and 20s who are desensitized to Christianity: Most of them were graduates of Christian alternative schools. While their parents have faith, for these young people, words like "God" or "Christian" sound merely like hollow echoes. Since the failure to pass the torch of faith to the next generation is not a recent phenomenon, it is not a problem that can be fundamentally resolved simply by spending a few days at L'Abri. Please pray that they may encounter God personally—and that L'Abri, along with Christian alternative schools, churches, and parents, would gain a deep understanding of the next generation, effectively convey the essence of the gospel, and, above all, demonstrate through our daily lives how the gospel transforms everything.

Those in their 30s and 40s who are struggling to live out their faith at home and at work: People who were very active in their churches before marriage tend to feel distant from God as they give birth to and raise children. This is also because, influenced by dualism, people tend to believe that a ‘religion’s life is more valuable than ordinary life. If you are used to following structured programs, it can be difficult to transition into an active life of walking with God in their ‘non-religious’ daily routine while wrestling alone with kids. Please pray for young parents that they may be rooted in God and His wisdom and find their utmost joy in submitting to His authority every moment. Work life is literally a war. Every time they see the reality of the fallen world, they feel disappointed and shudder at the realization that they themselves are part of that corruption. Please pray for those in the workplace who endure injustice, sharing in the Lord’s sufferings while placing their hope in the glory that is to come. We give thanks for those who faithfully carry out the work they can do today, share the gospel with their colleagues, solidify their Christian faith and identity through study groups, and live out the gospel in their daily lives.

Those in their 50s to 70s who are insensitive to common sins at home: What is our family like? If you accumulate anger through repeated confrontation or avoidance, you will soon give up on solving the problem and become deeply distressed. Koreans often call this ‘Haan’ – a fatalistic and collective notion referring to a deep, unresolved sorrow or resentment. We resign ourselves to it, as if it were something that is beyond even God’s control. It is very tragic that believers rarely take this pain to the Lord and resolve it through repentance, forgiveness, and gratitude. Over the winter, there were people who had the courage to confess and wanted to address this problem. I believe that the Holy Spirit will guide these people and will joyfully restore them. Don’t you want your family to be a family, not just on this earth but forever through the blood of Jesus? It is not too early to treat the family next to me right now as my eternal family and to begin to obey the Word of God. I am grateful to these guests who helped me learn, reflect, and likewise repent.

Next, I would like to introduce you to our film discussion. Tae-yoon, our film curator helper (photographer), has overseen this for years, handling both film selection and discussion leading. Once again, the good movies gave the guests something to think about and moved their hearts. This term, they watched a different movie every week under the theme of “challenge.” Among them was Perfect Days (2023, directed by Wim Wenders, starring Koji Yakusho). Since I was unable to attend, Hae-jin has put together a summary of the discussion to share with you.

To close, we would like to inform you of the schedule from March to August. In March and April, with the permission of the Korean Board, L’Abri will be closed so that I can recover and take care of my health. We kindly ask for your understanding during this time. Right after Easter, In-kyung will attend the annual International L'Abri Members’ Meeting held in L'Abri, Netherlands. Please pray for a safe trip. In May and June, groups that have already made reservations will visit, and at the end of June, we will open our doors wide and welcome guests. We are deeply grateful for your prayer partnership.

During this year’s Lent, as we meditate on the sufferings of Jesus, an enormous war is going on in the Middle East and around the world. We earnestly pray that the Lord's will be accomplished even in the great whirlpool of history that we cannot fathom, and we pray that the gospel of Jesus will be testified to every day, even in our daily lives. Ahead of Easter, I’d like to taste together the joy of the Lord restoring life, so I end by sharing some of my favorite sayings and Bible verses.

“The rising of the sun had made everything look so different—all the colours and shadows were changed—that for a moment they didn’t see the important thing. Then they did. The Stone Table was broken into two pieces ... Aslan leaped again. A mad chase began. ... now letting them almost catch his tail, now diving between them, now tossing them in the air with his huge and beautifully velveted paws and catching them again, ... all three of them rolled over together in a happy laughing heap of fur and arms and legs.” – C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” – Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)

With Love,

Kyung-Ok

Translated by Ye-Jin Ahn

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