Korean Alumnus Serves Cru Regionally: Daniel Ko
Recently, EAST News got in touch with Daniel Ko (MA in Biblical Studies, 2011). He is currently serving regionally with eight Southeast Asian countries and the International Graduate School of Theology (IGSL), Philippines, an EAST’s sister seminary. He wrote his update in Korean and it has been translated into English below.
Passing of an Alumnus in India: Rev Themshang Sharik
(L-to-R) The late Rev Themshang Sharik, his wife Worthingla, and their children
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of an EAST alumnus, Rev Themshang Sharik, who has gone to be with the Lord on Sunday, 27 June 2021, at 4.25 am. He has been in ICU for almost 50 days due to post-Covid complications at a hospital in Guwahati, India. He is survived by his wife, Worthingla, and six young children. Let us uphold the bereaved family in our prayers.
Mr Themshang Sharik graduated in 2001 with a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Counselling and since then has done church planting, training, and pastoral ministry back in North-East India. Until his passing, he was pastoring the City Fellowship Church in Guwahati. In late April 2021, his whole family came down with fever, headache, body ache, cough, etc. Thankfully all his children and wife’s conditions have improved since then. Themshang’s condition, however, took a turn for the worse, was tested positive for Covid-19, and he had to be hospitalised.
Please contact our EAST Alumni Coordinator if you have further queries on the above. Shalom.
#Covid19 #EASTalumni
Mongolian Alumni in Recovery from Covid-19
EAST News caught up with two more Alumni families from Mongolia in recent weeks. They have varying experiences of Covid-19 and the updates are as follow.
Left to Right: Uuganaa, Tengis (5), Ninjin (9), Una
Uuganbaatar Chuluunbaatar, or better known as Uuganna, who graduated in 2016 with a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies was recently affected by Covid-19 in April, together with his wife Una and two young children Ninjin, 9, and Tengis, 5. But thanks be to God, their entire family are fully recovered and the picture above was taken on 1 June which is Children’s Day in Mongolia when their family was healthy enough to go on a day hike. After graduating from EAST, Uuganaa was the Missions Department Leader in Mongolia CRU but he has received a new appointment in May to be a Youth Strategy Leader. Do uphold him in prayers as he adjust to his new role and thank God for preserving his health and his family’s health from the Covid-19 episode.
“Now, I’m ready to go home and bear fruit.”
(Left) Mr Tan Eng Kwang, EAST Admissions Officer. (Right) Mr Vitou Ngeth, 2021 graduate, Master of Divinity in Christian Ministry.
Ngeth Vitou (Cambodia), MDiv Christian Ministry
“First we clean the land and let the cows soften the soil; then we let the land rest and heal, add in fertilizers and plant rice.”
Vitou, 33, speaks like a pro because from the young age of seven, he was already helping his parents on their three-hectre rice fields.
First, we clean the land
Vitou’s spiritual growth path started at 21 at a Bible School in Sihanoukville (western Cambodia), four hours from his hometown in Takeo. “I wasn’t a believer then,” he says. “I enrolled at the school only because it was free.”
The fifth child of a family of six children confesses that he grew up very angry about being poor. “I dreamed of finding a better life for my family; my father died early and my mother lived a hard life,” says Vitou. “But when I accepted Jesus in my first year at the college, my dreams changed to helping others find eternal life.”
To Be Like My Father
Yataka Gakiya (Japan), Master of Arts in Biblica Studies, 2021
Two images of his pastor father stand out for Yutaka Gakiya, 29. “He enjoys preaching God’s Word,” says the Sociology major from Kindai University in Osaka. “and he loves playing with me and my two younger brothers.”
“From young, my dream has been to be like my father.”
Yutaka’s journey to EAST began only after he met a Japanese pastor in a city where he worked. It was also during those three years that God’s call for him into full-time ministry was confirmed. Read more
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