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Background Information:

Sung grew up in LA and received a call to ministry in Japan in 1994 as he was serving there for 7 months. God prepared Sung linguistically, culturally, and experientially in ministry during the last 15 years. Sung met Nicole in Seattle and God brought them together in 2002 and blessed them with three wonderful boys: Josiah who was born in Seattle(‘02), Emmanuel in Oklahoma (‘04) and most recently Joash in LA(’09). Sung has been working for Kumon North America, a worldwide Japanese educational company for 9 years.

Ministry Assignments:

Since 2007, Sung and Nicole have been preparing for ministry in Japan through pre-field training and by raising up a team of financial and prayer supporters. Once deployed to Japan, they plan to join a Church Planting Team that not only multiplies churches but also develops leaders there.

Words of wisdom for people interested in world missions...

go on short-term mission trips and take Perspectives on World Christian Movement.

When in Japan, be sure to....

Try the public bath houses and go on cherry blossom festivals in the spring.

What would you like some of your greatest “ultimate contributions” to be?

To help people to become more passionate and radical about God and His glory revealed in His word

What are some ministry methods or activities you find especially meaningful?

We find passionate worship and praises most meaningful as we were created for this very purpose. As John Piper would put it, “Mission exists because worship doesn’t.” A true and spirit-filled worship is the end and the culmination of our very existence. We long to see many Japanese come to worship our God.

Do you have a fun or funny missionary story?

When I was serving as a single in Japan, I got to travel around the country with my male cousin. We went from Hiroshima to Hokkaido in two weeks. When we got to Osaka, all the youth hostels were completely booked up. Having no place to sleep, we stumbled onto an alley full of little hotels. The puzzling part was their hourly rates and the fact that they were higher than the overnight rates. And finally it dawned on me that these were “love hotels” that I’ve only heard of. Being desperate to find a place to stay and the last thng in our minds were worrying about others’ perceptions, we walked into one of them. Before I had a chance say “Konnichiwa,” the clerk adamantly told us to get out. I tried to explain that we were travelers from the U.S. and that we needed a place to stay. But the lady would not hear any of it. My limited Japanese didn’t help either. She seemed say that no gays were allowed. In our last attempt, I called a Japanese female friend who lived in Kyoto to help us. I was hoping that she could explain more persuasively our “sad” situation. So we met my friend for dinner and asked her to help us plead our case. We returned to the same hotel and sure enough, the lady freaked out when she saw the three of us. But thankfully, my friend was able to explain the situation and was able to convince the clerk to allow us to stay under two conditions: check-in after 10pm and check-out before 7am. Who would have known that the best accommodation during the entire trip would be at a love hotel?

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